Outerhouse Relations
by LifesADarkArt
Summary: The sequel to Innerhouse Relations. Finally. Draco and Hermione's Christmas vacation at Harry's with Blaise and Ron. Thank you for the 590 reviews for the first fic! keep it coming and I'll do my part. R
1. Awkward Moments

**Here it is.**

**Thank you to AngelwithDirtyThoughts for the title suggestion. also to VictoriaEnchanted for the same chapter title only a day later.**

**you to were the only ones to give a title name and they were the same lol.  
**

**Like or hate it, read and review so I know.**

**Thanks to Brink for the beta that I so desperately needed!**

**I'm sure everyone will thank you too for not having to sit through my atrocious spelling for another 18 chapters. Lol.**

**And to all of you who want a smarter Hermione, give me time and you'll get her.  
**

* * *

Outerhouse Relations

Chapter 1

Draco Malfoy had a long line of family members who were prized for their lack of emotion. And Draco, although not as emotionally inept as the rest of his family, had grown up ignoring what bit of feelings he did have. Being under the impression that the strange way his body reacted to certain things, was a badge of shame.

More to the point, his dad would constantly berate him if his face so much as showed an inkling of what he was thinking.

It wasn't until years later that Draco realized his father had no right to chastise. His father was an emotional beast himself; he may not have stressed his facial features, but Lucius Malfoy had shown, in plenty of ways, that he too had emotions.

Luckily this revelation humbled Draco to the fact that Malfoy's, no matter the stories, or the stony faced portraits of past ancestors lining the halls of his manor back home, were all human.

He forgot about his fathers idealism and embraced the fact that he was going to feel things. Things that he hated, things that hurt and things that pissed him off. Mind you, he still did a decent job of concealing it, but none the less he felt.

But apparently, he'd been having less control over that in the past few weeks, all of the hell he had gone through with Hermione. As proof of it, he was just about ready to punch Blaise in the face.

He was jealous, he was human, and he was going to kill Zabini.

After sitting through hours of the insufferable car ride to Potter's, where Blaise occupied conversation with _his_ new girlfriend the whole way there, they'd finally made it to the apartment. Naturally, low and behold, Blaise had something in his room that he wanted to show to Hermione.

Hermione, being so utterly Hermione as she was, followed him with a smile. Blaise then proceeded to grin at Draco before closing them away.

Now he was standing awkwardly at the door with Potter at his side, listening to Hermione and Blaise's muffled laughter.

Harry gave him a pat on the back and then dropped the luggage he was carrying on the carpet beside the door.

"Don't worry about it," he said with a shrug. Draco looked down at him in surprise, "I'm sure by now you know Hermione. She wont think anything of it." Harry laughed and then pointed to where he'd set Hermione's things. "Go ahead and leave your stuff right here for now," he continued, sitting himself on the sofa with an exhausted sigh.

Draco put his things down and sighed, agreeing with Potter about his words on Hermione's dismissive attitude toward Blaise. Though the fact that she wasn't thinking anything of it was part of his problem.

He gritted his teeth when Hermione laughed again, and then he walked into the living room, stiffly sitting down in an armchair.

Draco was usually pretty cool in awkward situations, but as he and Potter sat in silence, one tapping his foot, the other surveying his surroundings uncomfortably, Draco was uncharacteristically uneasy.

Why the hell would she leave him here with Potter?

Draco looked around the apartment, trying desperately to ignore the fact that Potter was staring at him, and laid his eyes on anything that could possibly pull him away from the dreaded forced conversation.

Please, please, please don't let there be forced conversation, god help him if he was forced to-

And then Potter attempted conversation.

"So…" he said in that long drawn out way that people do when they don't really have anything to say, but are going to try anyway, "Hogwarts huh? How is it?" Harry mustered and Draco wanted to just stand up and leave.

This was too much. He took a deep breath. If not for Hermione, he wouldn't even try. But as it were, he had to at least attempt being civil.

"It's a good job I suppose," he said with a shrug, not looking at Harry. Draco rested his eyes on a black lamp, attempting to appear that it interested him more than the conversation itself. Of course, anything could be deemed more interesting than the poor excuse of a conversation they were sharing.

"Oh…" he answered and then the silence went on until finally Harry tried again. "Auror training at the Ministry's tough, but worth it," Harry added.

A futile attempt, but Draco gave points for trying.

"Yeah…?" Draco asked, trying to sound mildly interested.

"Yup…," Harry responded and then let the quiet stretch on again for some time. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, but had only been a few minutes, Harry stood up and stretched. "You know what?" he started, "think I'll go see what's going on with Blaise and Hermione." Harry hurriedly walked out of the room, leaving Draco alone and bringing the sad attempt of a conversation to an end.

Draco relaxed a little. He hated uncomfortable situations and he was readying himself for a whole lot more of it in the coming weeks. He would just have to suck it up.

Five _long_ minutes later, they still hadn't emerged from Blaise's room, and Draco was trying not to get too frustrated with the current situation. Where were Hermione's perfect manners and etiquette, leaving him out here like this?

Just as he was about ready to get up and barge in there, they emerged looking cheery and still in the midst of conversation.

"It sounds like fun," Hermione smiled.

_What sounds like fun? _

_Why was she smiling? _

"It will be," Blaise assured, a rather proud smile spread across his face.

_Why was he smiling?_

"So aside from that," Harry chimed in, "you too are on dinner duty right?" Hermione looked up at Blaise to see if that was okay with him. Blaise simply put an arm around her shoulders, steering her to the kitchen with that same smile.

"Sure," he said louder than necessary for Hermione or Harry to here, being that they were right beside him. "Last time was such a blast, and you looked so cute in my clothes, it felt like we were a married couple," Blaise joked and Hermione blushed.

"Stop it," Hermione mumbled, "I know I looked ridiculous, you don't have to remind me."

Draco watched the events play out, still seated in his chair and all too aware of what Blaise was trying to do. Well it wouldn't work. If he got pissed now, it would only feed Blaise's childish antics.

And it was in good faith that he keep up his nonchalant façade. Once Blaise got whiff of any weakness, he ran with it. He couldn't let them find out how vulnerable he was when it came to Granger.

Draco smirked at Blaise's disappointed face. He had obviously hoped to get a reaction. But then Blaise smirked back. Harry, seeing the exchange and feeling the pure testosterone levels rising at an alarming rate, cleared his throat and addressed Hermione.

"So… what are you making?" he asked and Hermione shrugged.

"Guess I'll see what you've got." she said, moving away from Blaise and searching through the fridge and cabinets.

While Hermione did that, Harry tried to play mediator.

"I haven't been shopping for a bit" Harry started carefully, thinking as he went along. "So Malfoy," he went on, "why don't you suggest what you'd like since it'll be your first time having Hermione's cooking." he tried. "Blaise and I will go out for ingredients at the market down the street," Harry looked at Blaise who sighed and then shrugged.

Hermione turned to him giving him the 'I couldn't put you through the trouble' look, so Harry continued. "While we're out it'll give you time to get things squared away," he added and Draco, not bothering to hide his annoyance for the first time, spoke up.

"Sounds perfect," he said, and Hermione shot him a glare, offended by his lack of manners in someone else's house.

Draco didn't seem to notice.

"Don't worry about it," Harry said, quickly shooting a look at Blaise. When he didn't answer, Harry nudged him. He sighed heavily.

"Yes of course," Blaise said sarcastically, "It'd be our _pleasure_." Draco was unsure whether that was directed toward him, Potter, or Hermione. Draco could only hope it wasn't the later.

Draco, also having not missed the exchange, decided he had a bit more respect for Potter. Hermione huffed, looking deflated.

"If it's really okay…" she started and Harry smiled at her. She looked across the room to Draco. "Well?" she inquired.

Draco thought it over for a moment before answering.

"How about fetta?" he suggested and Hermione smiled, nodding in agreement.

"Sounds great," she said. Harry took Blaise by the arm, pulling him to the door, eager to kill the high level of hostility already raging in the room.

"Right," Harry said as he pushed a disgruntled Blaise out and then entered the hall himself. "Be back in thirty," he waved before shutting the door.

"Finally," Draco breathed as soon as the door was shut. He got up from the arm chair and closed the distance between them in a few quick strides and pulled Hermione into his arms with a wicked smile on his face.

"Draco," Hermione started in shock, but Draco place a finger over her mouth and continued.

"You left me out here with Potter, and -" he started.

"You should really call him Harry," Hermione interrupted pulling his finger away from her face.

"_Potter_," he continued, "and I think I deserve a bit of compensation." He smiled down at her, causing Hermione to blush.

"Stop it," she whispered, a tad embarrassed by Draco's action. They were, after all, at her best friends house. "We need to get our stuff put away."

She tried to pull away from him, but it was, as always, impossible. Draco picked her up by the hips and sat her on the counter top with ease, then pulled her close to the edge pressing himself against her.

She bit her lip, looking down at him with dilated eyes. He smirked, knowing he had her right where he wanted her. And just as he expected, she pulled him to her for a rough kiss.

She'd get her senses back soon enough and realize that they were on her best friends counter top, but until then, he didn't mind taking what he could get before Zabini returned with his childish games.

She fisted his hair and kissed him with a needy hunger. Then just as he was slipping his hand up her shirt to get a hold on one her glorious breasts…

"Anybody home?" came a voice from behind them, causing both to react. Hermione quickly pushed Draco back, jumping from the counter and patting her hair down, fixing herself up just in time for the ginger to come into view, dusting soot from his clothes.

Draco flinched as Hermione let out a high pitched scream of excitement before, to his dismay, running into Weasley's arms.

"Hermione!" he said picking her up in a bear hug.

Draco leaned back against the counter giving Weasley a curt nod when Ron finally noticed Draco standing there.

Weasley. Draco couldn't help but wonder if he had fallen asleep on the armchair, thus making this unwanted visitor nothing more than a figment of his imagination. But he wasn't so lucky, and Draco watched in dismay as the redhead quickly approached him.

"Malfoy!" Ron said loudly taking Draco's hand and giving it a firm shake. Then he looked down at Draco, being that he was a good two inches taller than the 5'11 Draco Malfoy, and gave him a dark smile. "Good to see you."

Draco could tell that, contrary to his words, he wasn't all too happy to see him. In fact, judging by his dark tone, it was quite the opposite.

"You too," Draco said coolly with a smirk. This was just like the good old days. He and Potter sitting on the couch making small talk, no. But this, this was the way it was supposed to be.

Then, for the first time that Draco could remember, Hermione seemed to sense the mood that was building.

"Ron," she said suddenly, grabbing his arm and pulling him into the living room. "Tell me all about the shop. It's been too long." she smiled up at him.

Draco smirked at her and she gave him the 'be nice' look before sitting beside Weasley on the couch and starting up a conversation.

Draco sighed, running a hand through his hair. Finally got rid of Zabini and in turn he got something five times worse.

He took a seat back in the arm chair, his now designated seat, and watched as his girlfriend chatted and laughed with another bloke, feeling like this hellish vacation would never come to an end.

* * *

Damien had endured the muggle friendly radio car drive, in the stuffed mini van, with them all singing to the songs at the top of their lungs. He'd even, at the request of Danielle, taken the middle seat, sitting between Spencer and Flores so she could sit with her new best friend Jasmine. But this, this was unacceptable.

"Excuse me?" He asked in disbelief.

"It's a tradition Scott," Tanner said and Danielle laughed.

"When we get back from Hogwarts, we take a swim. It's been like that for years," she explained.

"During winter and at night," he asked skeptically. Spencer came up behind him and gave him a friendly shove.

"Come on mate, who are we to wreck a tradition," he smiled and Jasmine nodded her head in agreement.

"Besides," Tanner added, "the pool is lit and heated, and we also have a Jacuzzi." He waggled his eyebrows and Danielle gave his arm a smack.

While those two argued about Flores's perversions, Spencer leaned in close to Damien.

"Just picture it," he started, "Danielle, in her two piece, splashing around. We might play some chicken with the ladies and then head to the Jacuzzi to relax our tired muscles." He chuckled suggestively. "Now, imagine sitting it out and watching me take your place…" He smiled as Damien shrugged Nix's arm off his shoulders.

Spencer laughed and then became serious. "Two piece," he said.

"How would you know?" Damien questioned annoyed.

Spencer discreetly pointed to the sofa where Danielle's bag lay unzipped and her tiny purple swim top already pulled halfway out.

Damien took a moment to deliberate with himself. A wonderful opportunity lay ahead of him, but there were always pro's and con's to every choice being made.

Be in a pool with these insufferable prats and maybe get a chance to make a move on Danielle.

Or sit out, avoiding the annoyance of the other, but be forced to watch Nix and his shameless hands all over Danielle.

Either way, he lost.

Tanner opened the sliding door and headed out to the back yard, letting Jasmine test the water with her foot, and Nix followed kneeling down and putting in a hand.

"Damien," Danielle spoke from beside him and he looked down at her. "Come and feel the water," she said, taking his forearm and pulling him outside.

She rolled up her pants and sat at the edge then patted the floor beside her. Damian copied her movements, rolling his pants up and sitting right beside her.

"We're going to get changed," Jasmine said excitedly, running back into the house with Tanner and Spencer close behind.

"So you're really not going to get in?" Danielle asked annoyed. Damian sighed at her obviously upset tone.

"I'm still thinking about it," he mumbled.

"Well," Danielle said happily, abruptly standing up, "times up!" She laughed, putting a foot in the middle of his back and shoving him off the edge and into the pool with a splash.

Damien surfaced in shock, watching her laugh it up. He swam to the edge and looked up at her with murder in his eyes.

"I'm going to give you until I get out of this pool," he said warningly and she smiled at him.

"If you think you can catch me." she said with a laugh before running into the house.

Damien smiled. He was going to make her pay.

When Tanner and the others returned they were met with a soaking wet Damien dragging a laughing Danielle out of the back doors, holding her around the waist.

"What the hell," Tanner asked. Spencer laughed when Danielle manage to break away from him.

She made a run for it but didn't get far as Damien soon had a hold of her again. He dragged her closer to the poll, holding her tight as she continued to struggle, trying to free herself once more. Then, without hesitation, Damien jumped into the pool, taking her along with him.

"Suicide," Tanner laughed and then picked up Jasmine, who shrieked in surprise, and jumped in after them.

Spencer smiled. This would be good for Damien. His best friend needed some fun in his life. Contrary to what Scott may believe, he was meant to be around people. As long as he wasn't being a total ass, Damien was a good person who deserved to have a good time just as much as anyone.

When everyone emerged from the water, the two girls coughing and Damien smiling and actually accepting a high five from Tanner, he knew it was the perfect time.

"Bludger!" he shouted before jumping into middle of the group, legs pulled up, with a huge splash.

Eventually, Damien and Danielle changed into proper attire and the night was overall one of the best that any of them had ever had.

* * *

Draco had been sitting in the same chair now for 20 minutes, not moving the slightest, staring at the same lamp, being ignored, before Weasley finally had the decency to address him again.

"So, Malfoy," he started and Draco could tell that he was in a considerably better mood than when they'd started off. Maybe all the brute needed was his Granger fix. Draco winced inwardly at that disgusting notion.

He turned to the red head, nodding his head in recognition before Ron continued.

"Just wanted to congratulate you on the catch," he smiled genuinely and Hermione blushed, "we thought our dear old Hermione would never give a bloke a real chance." He continued and Hermione nudged him roughly.

Draco's interest peeked.

"What do you mean?" he asked in a leveled voice and Ron turned to Hermione with a smile.

"Well, for a while she was accepting any offer she got." he explained, Hermione glaring at him. He continued; "one date with a guy and they were kicked to the curb." He let out a chuckle. "She'd come back telling us that 'this' was wrong with the guy or 'that.'"

Then he looked quizzical.

"I'm sure I can find something wrong with you even if she can't," He stated flatly and Hermione punched him in the arm. Ron stood from the sofa with a chuckle. "No, I'm only joking. Looks like we'll be putting up with each other, yeah?"

He walked toward the hall then turned back to Draco one more time with his usual grin spread across his freckled face. "Welcome to the group Malfoy. If Hermione likes you than I suppose you can't be all that bad. I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to get to know you better." He laughed before disappearing around the corner and shutting the bathroom door.

Hermione quickly jumped in to make amends.

"Draco," she started apologetically, "Ron can be a pain, but he's just kidding, really." Draco sighed.

He was pretty sure that the words Weasley had said were a round-about threat of sorts, but it was pointless trying to get Hermione to see that. So instead he smiled at her and shrugged.

Hermione smiled back and then the air thickened as she caught his eyes and nibbled her lip. Draco smirked at her. Ever since last night, every time she looked at him he could tell she was replaying their lustful events in her head.

He wanted to have her again. Now.

And from the looks of her, she was on the same page.

But of course the mood was trampled on as the front door opened and Hermione hurried over to help with bags. He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes tight. Why?

Ron emerged from the bathroom and there were greetings going around and Draco, ever the outsider, sat and watched as they all started putting groceries away while laughing and chatting like a big happy family.

He sat in the armchair, thinking that he sure as hell didn't belong here.

* * *

Draco sat in that seat for another hour while Blaise and Hermione cooked dinner together, having a good time, and while Potter and Weasley talked about the shop and about Teddy and about other trash he didn't really understand.

When dinner was finally done, and he worked up the strength to pry his weight from the chair to seat himself in a new one at the dining room table with everyone. He hadn't even been granted the mercy of sitting next to Hermione.

He took up residence between Potter and Blaise, looking on as Hermione talked excitedly about her favorite students and about the muggle camp; Terry's, that had become part of the Hogwarts curriculum.

After suffering through dinner they all migrated to the living room, talking about plans for tomorrow.

"The mall will be packed with only ten days left before Christmas," Harry complained.

"But we're having an all muggle holiday, remember," Hermione sighed.

So apparently when Blaise had pulled her away earlier, he'd suggested gift shopping at the local muggle shopping center. And being that Hermione thought it was a good idea, there was no getting out of it. For any of them.

"Sounds…," Ron trailed off, thinking it over and then shooting a look at Draco, "fun." He put an arm around Hermione's shoulders. "In fact Hermione," he continued, "you should sit this one out." He smiled down at her and she looked up at him with an eyebrow raised.

"Why," she asked suspiciously and Draco, for once, was thankful for her skepticism. Ron looked at the other males in the room as though passing them a secret message that Draco didn't get.

"Well," he started, "it could be a guy's day thing, you know?" He smiled cleverly. "Besides, Malfoy probably doesn't want you around when he gets you a Christmas gift and neither do any of us," he said and Hermione searched Blaise and Harry's face.

Then she looked at Draco, sitting in his armchair, who was all too aware that this was some sort of set up for him. But he wasn't about to beg for her to come along, so he sighed and answered her silent question.

"Sure, why not," he asked, defeated. He wasn't going to give Weasley the satisfaction of getting to him.

Hermione deliberated for a moment before sighing.

"I guess," she said, shrugging a bit. Ron and Blaise smiled at each other.

Draco gave Potter a questioning look, the other man shrugging in response. Draco found it strange to think that his most trusted ally here would be Potter, of all people.

Blaise stood up and yawned.

"Looks like it's lights out time if we want to beat the traffic tomorrow," he said and Draco could here the experience of "muggling it" in Blaise's voice. "How are we splitting this," he asked and Harry shrugged before answering.

"Well Ron usually gets couch, so I guess Hermione will stay with me in my room and Malfoy in yours," he said and Draco couldn't believe this was happening.

"Wait," Blaise said in outrage, "why do you get Hermione?" Everyone but Draco laughed. He wasn't about to let her sleep anywhere but with him.

Everyone started to disband and it was like no one here understood what was wrong with this at all.

As Hermione followed behind Harry, Draco caught her arm.

"Really," he whispered to her, willing her to understand.

"I know Draco," she answered solemnly and he was at least glad that she was thinking the same thing. "But it's Harry's place and I'm not going to kick him out of his own room." She frowned at him. "Besides, the two of us," she lowered her voice even further, "you know we can't be in the same room." She blushed and he smiled down at her. She had a good point, but still.

"You know," he said with a rueful smile, "they're doing this on purpose." He sighed and she looked at him in disbelief, then chuckled.

"Right, they're all conspiring against you," she laughed lightly. "Don't be so paranoid, Harry seems to like you and Ron will come around," she comforted before giving him a light kiss on the lips and waving him goodnight.

Draco watched as she entered another man's room for the night, laughing at whatever Potter had said to her before closing the door on him.

He was wrong to think that Potter was an ally, he was in on the scheme, just like the other two.

"Hurry it up mate," came Blaise's voice from beside him, "Or I'll leave you out here to try and get some sleep through Ron's snoring." He laughed and ducked whatever Ron tossed at him.

Draco sighed in defeat, entering Blaise's room. How was he supposed to fight when it was three on one. He couldn't. Or at least not yet.

He would just have to go along with this, bide his time until he found what he needed to get the upper hand on all three of these wankers.

After Blaise was done with Draco's makeshift bed on the floor, he then subjected Draco to lots and lots of talk about how he couldn't believe what a sexpot Hermione was and about how Draco was lucky he put a claim on her before she got here.

Which wasn't stopping Zabini from flirting with her mercilessly Draco noted.

And Blaise always seemed to know just how far to push Draco before he reached the point of no return, stopping his rude and distasteful comments just before Draco gave up on ignoring him and was about to deck him in the jaw. One so hard they'd have to wire his mouth shut and Draco could get some peace for the rest of his trip.

Hermione had been right, he thought. Draco had a lot more patience than he credited himself with. He'd seemed to learn a great deal more over the past few weeks with her, and this trip was apparently meant to teach him plenty more.

Finally though, there was silence and Draco, not wanting to think of what he was in for tomorrow, forced all thoughts from his mind and fell asleep.

* * *

Hermione was wide awake listening to the soft snoozing from the floor beside the bed.

She felt terrible. It wasn't until just now that she'd realized how she'd treated Draco.

She'd been so glad to be with her friends that she had completely neglected him. Lost in her own good times.

She replayed the day in her head and realized that he'd spent most of it sitting in that arm chair. She asked him to come here, knowing that he would be uncomfortable, and then isolated him.

Not to mention that he may not be all wrong about the others conspiring against him. Her mind worked to remember all the conversations and stopped on the outing to the mall tomorrow.

She'd thrown him to the wolves. Not that she really thought that they were going to do anything outside of thoroughly annoy Draco, but she could have helped prevent it a bit.

She couldn't invite herself now could she? Not after he'd sucked it up and told her that it was okay. Would that be like stepping on his manly pride or something? He decided to put up with them on his own but she wanted to come to his rescue.

Either way, she wouldn't let it happen again if she could help it. These boys and their ridiculous antics.

She got the feeling that Draco wouldn't ask her for assistance if he needed it, so she would have to stop being so lax around them and keep an eye out for trouble.

She wanted him to enjoy his vacation here and have a good time with everyone. By the end of this trip, she was sure that no matter what, they'd all be friends.

Hopefully…

**I don't think I have to mention to review. Oops I just did :P**

**Do you guys want to guess what they're going to do at the mall?**

**Also for those of you wanting more Nate and Tiffany, let me know because I wasn't planing on writing them in but I can amend that!  
**


	2. A Little Communication

**Sorry, sorry, sorry!**

**Just started school and I've been out of it. Not to mention that I got a nook for my b-day and so all I've been doing is downloading e-books and reading my ass off.**

**I have too much homework already and I hate it.**

**Anyway… this wasn't what I intended the chapter to be, so don't go getting too excited.**

**It's just that I really felt like I needed to update and really get something, ANYTHING up, just to get the damn story moving.**

**So this is just a tid bit.**

**Let me know what you think.**

* * *

Outerhouse Relations

Chapter 2

Draco was awakened too early for his liking. The sounds of laughing and talking in the room beyond, annoying his ears. The door to Blaise's room was obviously open from the sound of it, and he could only assume the bastard had done it on purpose.

Still, that wasn't what had stirred him from his slumber. There was something cold pressing against his legs and arm. He grumbled, not wanting to open his eyes. Then the coldness touched the bare skin of his hip and went under his shirt, sliding up his stomach and ribs to his chest.

He jumped a little and opened his eyes in surprise.

He looked up to see Hermione under his blanket, nestled close, and smiling down at him. Her cold hand made circles on his pecks, and her ice block feet tried to warm themselves on his legs.

He smiled.

He couldn't think of a better way to wake up at Potter's than this. She gave him a light kiss on the lips and then the smile fell from her face and she sighed.

"I know by now that you don't like for me to say this," she started and then shrugged, "but I'm sorry," she said and Draco looked at her confused.

"For what this time?" he rolled his eyes jokingly, trying to lighten the mood. She sighed again and smiled at his effort.

"I was a total monster to you yesterday," she said feeling ashamed.

"I'd say that calling yourself a monster is going a bit overboard," he smiled and then thought back to his terrible evening last night. "Though maybe saying you were a bit stupid would fit better," he said seriously and she frowned at him.

"Stupid?" she asked outraged and when he gave her a pointed look, she sighed for the third time. "Fine, but you don't have to say it like that," She conceded. He chuckled.

"Don't worry, your not really stupid at all," he said rubbing her back soothingly. "Only in comparison to me," he elaborated and when she finally cracked a smile, rolling her eyes, he laughed. "And lets face it. Who isn't?"

She took her other hand and put it up his shirt and laughed when he flinched and rolled away from her touch. She hugged him around the waist so he couldn't get away.

"So I'm forgiven?" she asked cheerfully.

"Not if you don't get your hands off of me," he warned and she sat up pulling her hands from under his shirt. He tugged his shirt down, sitting himself up as well.

"But really," she started shamefacedly, "I was horrible yesterday and-"

"It's fine," he said holding up a hand but she pulled it down.

"It wasn't," she said and then paused, "It isn't," she corrected.

"You were having fun." he shrugged.

"I'm really happy that you consider my feelings and all," she smiled, "but I have to do the same for you. Who knows what hell they're going to subject you to today?" she said more to herself, looking consumed by guilt.

Draco sighed.

He'd almost forgotten about their 'guy's day' out. She looked at him apologetically.

"I know," she started, "I can't believe I let them slip their trick past me. Those conniving…" she looked pretty pissed off about it, and Draco couldn't help but like it.

It was cute to think that she'd feel protective over him. Also a bit strange.

"Don't worry about it," he said flippantly, pulling her to him for a hug. "I can take care of myself. I'm a big boy," he joked and she put her arms around him laughing.

"Funny to think that you used to be the bully," she said thoughtfully. Then as if she suddenly realized the kind of trials and revelations he must have gone through in the past five years, she pulled away from him and looked him in the eyes.

Draco watched her search his face quizzically. He felt uncomfortable under her gaze. Of course there was no sign of his discomfort as he spoke.

"What?" he asked with a chuckle.

"I seem to have just realized that up until a couple of weeks ago, I hated you," she said seriously and he laughed.

"I see," he said amused, but the look on her face told him there was more.

"Draco," she started carefully and he braced himself for something he knew he wasn't going to like. "We don't really know anything about each other." she said and he watched her work something out in her head. "What happened to you after the war? With your mother and father?" she asked and he flinched at the thought of having this conversation.

Draco sat there trying to relax. He shrugged.

"My mom lives at the manor," he said and then looked away from her. "And you know where my father is," he stated flatly. His distaste for the man was palpable.

Hermione treaded carefully with the phrasing of her next question. She shouldn't be asking him this now or here. But she suddenly wanted to know.

"Did you really…" she trailed off and he glared at the wall waiting for her to continue. He knew what she wanted to know. "When your father tried to get away, you were the one who…"

She felt so stupid asking him something like this. She was being so insensitive.

"Never mind," she said, making to stand and bolt from the room. He grabbed her wrist, keeping her seated.

"The answer is yes," he said, looking her in the eyes and she wished she hadn't asked about the stupid rumor. At the time that she'd heard it all those years ago, she hadn't really considered, nor cared about what that meant for Draco Malfoy and his mental state.

She never considered what a hardship it must have been to turn in his own father to the authorities. Or what kind of person it had made him into.

Then she had a worse thought.

"What about your mother," she started. "She must have been so…"

Draco scoffed darkly.

"She's still never forgiven me," he spat hating the pity that Hermione was drenching him in. "Just so you know," he said harshly and hated that he couldn't stop himself from continuing, "I don't need you to tell me 'it's going to be okay' if that's what you think," he said vehemently and Hermione looked taken aback.

"No…I,-" she started sounding hurt and flustered.

"I know," he said and his tone had not changed.

Hermione sat there for a few second longer before forcing a smile and standing up.

"I'll let you get ready now," she said before running out of the room.

Draco ran a hand through his hair. When he looked up he saw Potter standing in the doorway looking down at him with a sympathetic look. Draco realized that all three of the other's had heard the conversation. He glared at Harry but he didn't leave.

"Malfoy," he started and empathy was in his every word, "She shouldn't have-"

"Don't," Draco said raising a hand. He didn't need Potter trying to identify with him over something that Draco himself wasn't rehashing. Years had gone by and he wasn't dwelling on it.

Ron appeared at the door looking somewhat angry. Draco was ready for the brute to give him shit for either cutting Harry off or upsetting his little Granger.

"I'll go talk to her," he said and Draco realized that he was angry with Hermione. Harry, too, seemed to be shocked and watched as the red head made his way to Harry's room.

Draco looked up at Harry in wonderment and Harry sighed sadly coming into the room.

"We...," Harry began slowly. "We don't bring up our on pasts so lightly and we all have our problems," he started. "None of us want to talk about those times and even Ron knows it wasn't right for her to put you on the spot like that." Harry contemplated something for a moment before continuing. "With Fred gone, Ron knows how hard it can be for people to ask about the war. He has to watch his mouth around George. Just the mention of Fred can set things wrong," Harry shrugged. "Guess Ron, even if he doesn't like you all that much, wouldn't want you to have a melt down," Harry explained and Draco didn't know how to take this information.

"Well," Blaise said from the door, "Ron doesn't need to worry about Draco," he walked into the room and sat on his bed. "He's a tough son of a bitch," he smiled. "Draco's got nerves of steel."

Draco could tell that Blaise was consoling him the only way he knew how; jokes, and Draco smiled. He was still his best friend after all.

Harry smiled at the two of them and then shrugged, "Too late to stop Ron from giving her a piece of his mind."

"What little he has," Blaise teased and Draco smirked at that.

"I heard that," Ron said returning to the doorway.

"Good," Blaise said and Ron shook his head in annoyance. Then he looked at Draco.

"Malfoy," Ron started and there was an awkward moment as everyone absorbed the air in the room. "We've all changed a little," Ron said looking away from him. "And I think that you're a pretty decent guy," he mumbled his face going red.

Draco's eyebrows rose in shock.

"Um, thanks?" Draco said in question form and Blaise smiled at the scene while Harry stood in shock.

"Anyway," Ron said awkwardly, "We should be getting out of here soon," he finished before exiting the room. There was silence for a while until Blaise laughed.

"Never thought I'd see the day," he said and Harry shook his head in disbelief.

"_You_?" Harry asked, "I've known him almost my whole life and still can't believe Ron's moment of maturity."

Draco didn't like this strange space they were in and wanted to get out of it as quickly as he could.

"Maybe I should go see about Hermione," he tried and both Blaise and Harry nodded, before Draco got up and headed out of the room.

* * *

Hermione sat on Harry's bed wiping the stray tears away with the back of her hand.

She was so stupid when it came to Draco.

Him and him alone.

Over the past two weeks, she'd never felt more ridiculous. It's just that he was so damn interesting that she wanted to know everything about him. And so damn cryptic, that she was reduced to saying and asking stupid things to get to know his true feelings about things.

Her curiosity was always peeked when it came to him. She had so many questions she wanted and needed to ask him. His life, up until now had to be something else for him to have become who he is now.

She wanted to know his story and how each telling got him one step closer to the man she was seriously falling in love with. How someone she was sure would never amount to anything had managed to surprise her so utterly with his mere presence.

It didn't make any sense to her, and as such, her mind and mouth shot off, trying to put the pieces together.

But Ron was right.

How could she just bring up his past like that so suddenly? Not knowing how he may feel and in Harry's place with an audience no less.

"_Boyfriend or not Hermione, you had no right to bombard him like that with us blokes around." Ron had said. "Those are private matters and you've only been with him for what, a few days?" _

_Then Ron had given her a dark stare. "Have you forgotten what the war did to people Hermione? And can you honestly say that if he asked you about your aftermath, you'd be able to tell him your story on a whim?"_

Ron had never spoken truer words. Hermione couldn't bare to recap the days, months and years of hating herself, that she'd gone through up until this point. How could she have expected him to tell her about having to condemn his own father?

She needed to think more clearly when it came to Draco, or she'd be the end of this relationship.

Hermione looked up when the door cracked open and Draco peeked his head in.

"May I?" he asked and she nodded. He stepped in and closed the door behind him.

"Draco I'm-" she started and he glared.

"Not this again," he sighed. "Please spare me. Besides I'm not mad," he said and took a seat beside her on the bed. "Just a little annoyed."

Hermione looked down at her hands in her lap. He was lying to her. Trying to make her feel better when she didn't deserve it. Infact, it was probably the first time that him being angry would really make sense to her.

She wanted to tell him that it was okay for him to be upset and that she wanted to fix things, to take back any offense, but she couldn't get the words to really form into proper sentences. Then, as though he could see her effort of trying to make thoughts into words he spoke.

"You don't have to say anything. I already know." He was looking at her but she couldn't face him. "You want to know more about me?" he asked in a matter a fact tone.

Hermione looked up at him and he smiled.

"First off," he started, "I don't like apologies. You don't need to state the obvious to me." he shrugged, "If you're sorry about something then you don't always need to use your words to tell me about it." He looked at her to see that she understood.

Hermione stared at him blankly and he sighed knowing that elaboration was at hand. Then he looked embarrassed and Hermione frowned.

"If I did something," he paused, "to anger you, what would you have me do?" he asked.

Hermione shrugged. "Just say you were sorry," she answered like that was the obvious choice.

"But how would you know I was really sorry?" he asked and she frowned.

"Because you just told me so…" she said. Draco ran a hand through his hair.

"Yes, but how do you know that I'm not just saying it to console you? That they're not just empty words?" he asked exasperated, and Hermione finally got it.

"As in, I should show you I'm sorry because you think that words are meaningless?" she explained to herself and Draco blushed looking away. Hermione smiled.

"Right," he said.

"Right," Hermione agreed loving the expression on his face and wanting to savor it a little longer. He was the sensitive type after all and was ashamed of it too. It was a rare occasion that Draco showed this face. She tried not to smile as she spoke, "And how should I show it?" she asked and he looked up at her, a light blush still on his face, scanning her body and stopping at her lips.

"There are ways," he said in a husky voice and Hermione felt herself falling into that reckless and wild state of mind she had around him.

Hermione tried to push the feeling down. Wrong place and wrong time. And wasn't it always? She cleared her throat regretting pushing him so she could enjoy his awkwardness. She should have known he'd have no shame when it came to telling her what she could do for him.

"Alright," she said, "no spoken apologies. Anything else I should know?" she tried, wanting to get out of this erotic trance. Draco thought that over seriously for a moment.

"One more thing…" he trailed off, that look of embarrassment back on his face as he looked her in the eyes.

"Yes?" Hermione asked, mentally on the edge of her seat waiting for this one. Draco was obviously not the type of man who sat down and had full blown emotional conversations with women, and Hermione was somehow proud to be having this moment of clear communication with him.

He seemed to be debating on how to phrase what he was going to say, and if she'd learned anything about Draco at all, it was that when he had to think about what he was saying before he said it, the subject was important to him.

Finally, he sighed. "Forget it," he said looking away from her.

Hermione let her shoulders sag, feeling deflated. She really had to know what it was now.

"No, now you have to tell me," she whined and he clenched his jaw. "Whatever it is, it's serious to you, so you should tell me now before I do it again," she explained and he seemed to be thinking that over.

He shook his head, and Hermione tried not to be too happy with his display of emotions.

"Is it that embarrassing?" she asked, hiding her amusement and he looked up at her with a glare, his face flushing more at her obvious assessment. He raked his hand through his hair again and Hermione watched as he tried to form the words.

"I don't… I don't like-" he closed his eyes and took a breath. "I don't want…"

When he trailed off, she help him out, "Don't want me to…?" she said and he looked up at her taking a deep breath.

"Look," he said sounding exasperated. "I don't like you being all friendly with Zabini," he finally mustered and Hermione looked at him shocked.

"Blaise?" she questioned confused, "Friendly with-"

"You don't know him like I do," he started and Hermione could see how much it was taking out of him to have this talk with her. "He doesn't believe in friends that are girls. If he's being nice to you, it's for one reason alone," he said and Hermione couldn't begin to imagine truth to Draco's insinuation.

"Why would Blaise be interested in me?" she asked dumfounded and Draco looked at her like she was stupid.

"Don't make me be the kind of guy who has to tell you how…" he sighed rolled his eyes, "Beautiful and sexy you are and all the mushy crap," he said his blush rising again. Hermione could see that he meant what he was saying but…

"But I'm not…" she argued and he turned away from her.

"You really going to make me do this, huh?" he said. "Hermione, you're really… really, ugh," he looked up at her. "You don't realize how attractive you really are at all, do you?" he asked and Hermione blushed furiously in response.

"But Blaise is just being nice because I'm Harry's friend." she said.

"Or because he somehow managed to see you in a towel," he retorted.

"Or he's just a nice guy," Hermione defended and Draco snorted at that.

"Right…" he scoffed then gave her a pointed look. "All the same, I just don't like how much you trust him. I have to deal with Weasley and Potter, but don't get to close to Blaise," he said with a sort of finality.

Hermione sighed. Draco was sensitive, easily embarrassed, and also the jealous type. Hermione couldn't believe it. As if the guy had any reason to be insecure. What girl would want to give him up and what guy would that girl choose who could remotely compare?

"Am I just not supposed to be his friend?" Hermione asked unable to really discern what it was that Draco was asking for.

"Exactly," Draco answered and she glared at him. "You could even start with calling him Zabini." He smiled at her.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"I'll look out for this nonexistent attraction you say that he may have for me," she started, "But I'm not going to be out right rude," she argued and Draco, as though he didn't feel like fighting a losing battle shrugged.

"Fine," he conceded, "But if things get too friendly, don't be mad at me when I punch that bastard in his pretty face," Draco said and then smiled at Hermione.

She sat there stunned for a bit before deciding that he was joking and letting a small awkward laugh escape her lips. Draco just gave her a wide grin and Hermione stiffened.

"Draco," she said, "you're kidding right?" she asked and he shrugged, standing from the bed.

"Who knows?" he answered. "Guess I should be getting ready to go," he added and was gone before she could get a straight answer, although, she was pretty sure that his actions were answer enough.

* * *

Harry watched as Blaise teased Ron for his earlier act of kindness.

Blaise was a good guy, but when you made a fool of yourself in front of him, he was the guy in the group who never let you live it down. Always there to bring it up whenever you tried to act tough, or whenever he saw a perfect opportunity to cock block you at pubs and clubs.

After having this happen to himself a few times at the job, Harry had become extra careful to not have Blaise too close by when something could, and most likely would, go wrong.

And with marvelous outcomes.

With Ron being as busy as he was with the shop, he had yet to really learn the ropes when it came to Blaise. But obviously, he would learn soon enough

Harry took a moment to admire Malfoy and his calmness when it came to Blaise. The man really did have nerves of steel to sit and take Blaise's repeated offenses. And not just yesterday, but for as long as those two had been friends.

Harry himself could hardly imagine how on guard Malfoy must have had to keep himself when he was with Blaise during school; Making sure he never gave Blaise any leverage on him.

Or maybe Malfoy and Blaise were really closer than they seemed and he wasn't worried about Blaise exposing his secrets.

It would seem that way. After all, they did write to each other religiously, and god only knows what those two would have to write back and forth so often about.

Harry thought of Ron and how they were practically brothers. Still, he and Ron got up to speed with each others lives during short visits. How much could two guys really have to say to each other?

Were Draco and Blaise writing secret diaries to one another or what?

"So, what now Weasley?" Blaise asked after his assault on Ron's sudden gracious nature. "You gunna go all soft on the guy just because he's got a few mental scares?" Blaise asked with a smirked. Ron shot him an ugly glare.

"What, we're on a last name basis now?" Ron countered. "The plan's still on," he said sternly and Blaise smiled.

"Good."

"And you call yourself a friend?" Ron shook his head in shame.

"Hey," Blaise laughed, "I'm the best friend the man's got."

Harry sighed. He was pretty sure that this was going to get ugly. Just as he was about to step in and try to talk some sense into the boys, Draco emerged from the bedroom looking grim and Blaise started in on the poor guy with no time to spare.

"Doesn't look good mate," Blaise said too happily as Malfoy approached and fell back into the armchair. Draco glared at Blaise and then sighed, standing from the chair and heading for the bathroom.

"What the hell was that for?" Blaise asked and both Harry and Ron shrugged.

After spending only one night at Flores' place, Damien now understood the reason the guy was so insufferable.

And people liked to call him spoiled. Tanner Flores had the most relaxed parents on the face of the planet. To prove this, Damien was just waking up next to Danielle, not having been made to sleep in a separate room from the girls last night.

Infact, Flores' father had come in last night and all he could say pertaining to the sleeping arrangements was, 'Don't you kids do anything stupid', which Damien, Spencer and Jasmine were later informed was Flores' dad's way of preaching safe sex.

Apparently, he said this every night when Danielle stayed over. Now that was a father with some faith in his son. He didn't even make them leave the door cracked.

* * *

Damien wondered if his father would have that kind of trust in him if he wanted Danielle to stay at the Scott mansion. Then he laughed, his dad would probably encourage it. Anything to get Damien to make friends.

He looked down at the blanket and pillow covered floor and smiled at Danielle's resting form. Sure it was hard for him to fall asleep last night with her hugged against him, but he'd somehow managed and was feeling well rested.

He looked at the bed where Flores and Jasmine were snuggled close, then at the closet, where Nix had piled pillows and made himself a private sleeping space on the floor in there.

He looked up at the clock. It was already one in the afternoon and he wasn't used to sleeping in so late. He put his head back to the pillow and his arm back around Marcy. He wasn't going to go back to sleep, but he could stay like this until everyone got up.

Just as he was starting to feel the tension in his body from being beside her, there was a knock on the door and Mrs. Flores poked her head in.

"Rise and shine everyone," she said and Danielle grumbled, looking up at the woman. There was movement from everyone else in the room as well.

The smell of breakfast wafted into the room.

"Up all you love birds" she smiled at her son in bed with a girl and then down at Danielle who turned to Damien behind her. She blushed and then smiled at him.

This was so fucking awkward.

"You, in the closet," she continued and Spencer sat up, "breakfast is waiting downstairs. I'll let you all get ready," she said, and then shut the door.

The Flores family had some hardcore respect for their son.

As Danielle was sitting up, her thigh rubbed across his morning friend. She shot him a look of shock, blushed and quickly scooted away. Damien could just die of that horrible feeling called embarrassment, that had become a good friend of his just after their recent acquaintance.

He rolled over onto his stomach waiting for his stupid body to settle. From the closet Spencer sent him a knowing smile and Damien discreetly flipped him off before turning away. And then as if things weren't already bad enough with Nix smirking at him, Flores decided to comment on the situation as well.

"What's wrong there Scott," he said and Damien could hear the amusement in his voice. "Morning wood got you down? Or did _something else _get you _up_?" he and Nix laughed and Damien kept his head in the pillow to keep from retorting.

Danielle climbed on the bed and pelted Tanner with a pillow for his perversions, while Jasmine tried not to laugh.

God, this isn't what he needed. At least Spencer had always laughed at him silently. But Tanner, he was a rambunctious bastard.

After the laughter died down Flores got up and invited everyone down for breakfast, making a point to let Damien know that if he needed a bit more time, he was free to excuse himself to the restroom for a bit.

All Damien could do was glare at him from his now seated position on the floor. He had a pillow to cover himself and the damn thing just didn't want to go away. This just couldn't get any worse could it?

He really wished he hadn't have thought that.

Everyone left the room but Danielle decided to seat herself beside him.

"Are you okay?" she asked and he just couldn't believe it. It was a boner, not an illness. Of course he was okay. He'd be a lot better if she hadn't decided to stick around and ask him about it. Or if the damn thing would go away already.

"I'm fine," he gritted out, trying not to lose his temper. She seemed to sense this and stood up.

"You want me to stay with you?" she asked, and he had to stop his mouth from telling her that if she stuck around, it probably wasn't going to make things move along any faster. Then he had to stop his head from going into all the ways she could _make_ things move a little faster. _A lot faster actually._

He shook his head. He hated being a teenager.

"No, I'm good." he replied and she smiled awkwardly.

"Um, okay…" she said, and then left the room.

He sighed angrily, removing the pillow and looking down at himself. He closed his eyes, willing his head to clear up of all the dumb things he was thinking about her.

_Success!_

He headed downstairs for breakfast, knowing that the taunting was going to be an all day affair, and preparing to hate every moment of it.

**K. so I'll try to be better and get on to some good stuff. I know that this was perhaps too serious and stuff, but I wanted them to sit down for a normal conversation. **

**BTW… don't hate Blaise, he's a good guy I promise. And I'll be sure to get some Nate and Tiffany stuff in their ASAP **

**I've got something good planned for the next chapter, so stick with me k?**


	3. Letters

**WARNING:**

This chapter will contain things that will offend plenty of you, I'm sure. So if you want to flame, I'm cool with that. But please, give proper reason for it and don't just say crap like 'I hated it' or something.

Just letting you know…** this is rated R  
**

* * *

Outerhouse Relations

Chapter 3

Damien should have known that Flores would have plenty of muggle friends. It all just seemed so obvious now that he was faced with the prospect of going out with them tonight.

"So, they want to go to the local venue tonight," Tanner was saying, "to hear the local bands."

Damien didn't need to know what a venue was, to know that he didn't want to go anywhere with the lot of them and Flores's ruddy muggle friends, to be assaulted by anything he'd been forced to listen to in the car ride back from Kings Cross.

Not because he didn't like that it was all muggle, it was more that all these muggles had Flores as a friend. So he could only imagine what kind of people they'd be. He'd just found out that Flores's mom was actually a step mother. A muggle one at that, who teaches at the local high school that both Tanner and Danielle attend during the summers.

Mrs. Flores was a firm believer in keeping in touch with muggle society and that it was good for wizard kind. Damien understood why they lived in a muggle town and all, but how did this extend to a lesson for all of Tanner's friends.

After breakfast, she'd started in on how all the kids at the high school were talking about a show tonight and that one of Tanner's friends, Brad, called to see if any of them wanted to go.

He was dealing with enough people as it were. Enough of this 'friends' crap. Last night, taking that swim had been great, and this mornings incident? Not so much. All and all, he didn't even want to consider that there were more Flores's in the world, or anything similar for that matter. On top of that, he didn't want to go into having to associate with them.

"Sound like fun," Jasmine was saying and he knew right then that he was going to fight tooth and nail to avoid this one.

* * *

Hermione stood in Blaise's room holding four wands in her hand.

Before the guys had left, she'd taken it upon herself to ensure that things stayed muggle related during their trip today. And to be honest, she was also hoping that without their wands, there be no serious violence between them.

After what Draco had said, she'd started to think that letting him have a wand around Blaise wasn't such a good idea.

Anyway, she was looking for a good place to hide them and Blaise's room seemed perfect for plenty of reasons. The first being that, his room was a cluttered mess, whereas Harry's was relatively neat. Then there was the fact that, should they go searching for their wands, they would most likely check Harry's room first, assuming that she wouldn't go through Blaise's things.

Hermione sighed, looking around the room for an unused crevice she could hide her contraband in. Then she looked up at the top of Zabini's closet and thought 'BINGO.'

There was a dusty, messy corner on the top shelf, with boxes shoved high up. Probably things he'd never unpacked from home she thought and walked up to the spot giving it a better inspection.

If she set the wands on top of that box up there, they'd never notice. Hidden in 'almost' plain sight. It was perfect.

She stood on her tiptoes and stretched up to the top of the box but couldn't reach it. She sighed and left the room, coming back with a chair. She stood on the thing and when she could see the top of the brown box she was surprised to see two shoe boxes on it and in the far back.

Even more perfect she thought, pulling the two boxes out. She could put them behind these. She pulled out the first box and stuffed it under her arm. Then held the other in her hand and set the wands in the back with other. As she was replacing the box in her hand, she noticed that it said Pansy across it and absently wondered what Blaise had that belonged to Pansy. But, then again, they were best friends too.

Harry mentioned having to deal with visits from her on occasion when hanging out with Blaise. She put the box back in it's place and then as she was grappling with the one under her arm, she slipped on the chair and dropped it.

She landed on the floor and opened her eyes to see that the top of the box was beside her head and it read 'Draco' across it. Sitting up, she was glad to see that the contents of the box hadn't fallen out and was also intrigued to see that the box held letters. Enough letters, that they were stuffed so tight into the box that even the fall hadn't put them out of order.

Oh god, she had to walk away from this. Put the top on, get back on that chair and put Draco's personal stuff away. His thoughts and perhaps feelings. Maybe the feelings he has for her. Or the feelings he had about anything. She needed to ignore her urge to invade his mind.

Instead she pulled out the first letter and unfolded the parchment after taking it out of the envelope. It was dated for the start of school. The very first day infact. She couldn't help her eyes from falling over the page and taking in his almost illegible scrawl.

What was she doing?

But she knew what she was doing and as she continued doing it, she realized that she wasn't going to stop…

* * *

Draco got out of the car as they parked in the large lot of the mall and was overwhelmed by the sheer size of the building.

He thought that this was going to be something similar to what they had in the wizarding world. A small cluster of boutiques and shops. But this, this was ridiculous. Surely they didn't expect him to visit _all _of the shops contained inside of the thing.

He followed behind the other three men as they walk past isles and isles of cars and up to doors that slid away, allowing them entrance. On the inside, colors were the first thing he noticed. Lots of colors. The store fronts of most villages like Diagon Ally were drab compared to this.

As they walked past the first few shops, different songs hit his ears in a jumbled mess, like someone kept changing a record every few seconds. Most of the stores were for ladies clothing and the similar muggle fashions on mannequins in store front displays, helped him gather the latest trends without even trying.

Finally, after a long bit of walking and a ride on the moving stairs, the three men ahead of him stopped and turned around heading back to the entrance.

They left the mall, got back into the car and drove off without a word.

When the silence continued, he knew that they were waiting for him to ask, so he sighed heavily and decided to get this all over with.

"Okay, what are we doing?" he asked and Blaise smiled at him from the passengers seat but said nothing. Draco could see that Potter too had a grin as he caught a glimpse of him in the rearview mirror. Finally Draco turned to Weasley, sitting next to him and he smiled before answering.

"Well none of us really wanted to be there, so why bother," he said and when Draco frowned he continued, "we just figure that Hermione might ask you what it was like so we wanted to give you a short tour, so you have something to tell her when we get home." he finished with a shrug and Draco wasn't complaining but…

"So where are we going now?" he asked noticing that they weren't heading home and that he didn't recognize any of the passing land marks he'd made in his head incase they were planning to ditch him at the mall.

Weasley's smile widened. "Not too far," he answered and Draco made a note of the fast food place named McDonald's that they were passing incase he still needed to find his way home, if he got away from his captors. Around here there was no way he could apparate without muggle eyes on him, so he had to stay vigilant and perhaps he would survive.

* * *

Tanner stood with Spencer on the stairs watching Danielle and Jasmine try to talk Scott into going to the venue tonight with no success.

He looked up at the guy who seemed like such a carefree chap and noticed something was a little off in his profile as he watched the scene play out across from them. Whatever was on Spencer's features unnerved him and sent a shiver down his spine. He looked a little… angry.

The expression marred his usually friendly face and Tanner looked over to the sofa at the other three, trying to find out what was so upsetting. After all, if it was enough to make Nix react this way, it must be serious. He knew that it wasn't Scotts refusal to go with them tonight that had his new friend sporting this scary look. If anything, the guy enjoyed watching Scott looking annoyed and trying to fight the inevitable.

No, for some reason, when Tanner followed Spencer's range of vision, he seemed to be trained on Danielle's movements. But why?

Then suddenly, as though Spencer had finally realized that he was being assessed, he turned to Tanner with a smile.

"He'll crack eventually," he laughed, referring to Scott, and Tanner couldn't believe the swiftness of personality change he'd witnessed. It was like Spencer had just placed a mask on his face.

But no, this wasn't the mask, this was the Nix that he knew. Everyone in school knew that Spencer was a great guy. He was always so relaxed.

Not wanting to think back to the hate that had just been marring Spencer's naturally kind and fun loving features, Tanner continued the talking.

"Looking forward to meeting some fine ladies tonight?" he asked, nudging him in the ribs jokingly. Spencer smiled at him and then looked suddenly serious, turning away.

Tanner looked at his friend's face feeling lost. It was true that he and Nix had only recently become close, and that it was expected that there was a lot about the guy that he didn't know, but that face was completely un-Spencer-ly. Or at least the Spencer he'd come to know over the past few weeks.

Not to say that Nix was never sad. It was just that Tanner had never seen it, until now.

"What's up?" he asked, feeling increasingly uncomfortable with the look of loss on Spencer's face. And that's what it was, a look of mourning. He seemed like a man at a funeral. Then suddenly the face was gone. A full transition as he looked at Tanner and spoke.

"I'm good," he smiled and then with a laugh he shoved Tanner playfully and added, "With both you and Scott off limits tonight, I'll have the chicks to myself." He clapped his hand on Tanners shoulder, before walking away and joining Danielle and Damien on the couch.

Tanner had just learned something very important about his new friend. Spencer Nix, was an incredible liar. He wondered how long Spencer had been going around pretending like everything was okay. He wondered why Spencer wasn't happy.

Spencer once confided in Tanner, that he wanted Scott to be happy and enjoy life. Saying that as his best friend, it was up to him to help out.

Tanner decided that he understood that now. After getting to know Scott, the guy was indeed, just misunderstood. And now that that was cleared up, perhaps Spencer needed a best friend to ensure his happiness as well. With Scott being oblivious to his mate's hidden pain, it looked like it was up to Tanner to find out what was up with Nix and lend his ever helping hand because maybe Spencer hadn't noticed it, but just like Scott, he too deserved to be happy.

_

* * *

Blaise,_

_You ruddy bastard, you may have won that bet, and I may be keeping my promise to write to you, but I just want to let you know that, in spite of what you may think, this tripe isn't going to make me feel any better about my life. And I don't need bloody anger management._

_I'd like to think that you know that. _

_So here's your first letter…_

_Taking the Hogwarts Express really took me back. And not in a good way. All I could think about was how this whole thing was a big mistake and how thanks to you, I'm stuck in an impossible situation I don't want to be in. Thanks mate. _

_I mean, what were you and Potter thinking, telling McGonagall that I wanted to be a Professor? And don't feed me that crap about thinking it would be good for me to get away for a bit. You know just as well as I do that mother's not going to take my absence as time to think about what I've done to her and her lifestyle. _

_To be honest, the only saving grace in this whole day was seeing Granger at the dinner table tonight. I hadn't expected it. I hadn't expected anything. But can you imagine how I feel to know that the best part of my day was seeing someone who probably hates me more than Potter?_

_Utterly pathetic…_

_Then she smiled at me and greeted me trying to act like she was glad to see that I hadn't keeled over yet. Sad part is, I was actually glad to see her…_

_Glad that it wasn't someone else. There are plenty of worse people I suppose it could have been. You know how I felt about her during school even if I never really told you. And who knows, if nothing else, Granger is always great entertainment. You should have seen her face when I took a seat beside her. Priceless. _

_Other than that, I never thought I'd have to sit through another sorting in my life. Suppose I was wrong. Granger looked utterly offended when I started to doze during it. Some of us never change huh?_

_-Malfoy_

Hermione folded the paper back, put it into it's envelope and told herself that she wasn't going to ever do that again. She put the letter back into it's respected place and then picked out the next one telling herself that she just wanted to know if they were in order.

_Blaise,_

_It's your own fault if you couldn't read the first one. I was too pissed to care about my script. _

_So it's been three days and so far life is just as mundane as it's ever been. So much for me needing the change, huh? So it would seem that you were wrong again. Why I even bother with you, I still don't know. _

_And no. Granger may be nice looking but really, you're being ridiculous. I'm not you. I'm a womanizer but I at least know my limits. _

_By the way, have I ever mentioned how much I hate kids. Oh yeah, of course I have. You are my '_best mate' _after all. So naturally, you'd know._

_If I thought I hated first years while in school, I never imagined I'd have to be teaching them things that their tiny pea brains have no hope of containing. They can barely retain information on their bloody common passwords, let alone the dark arts. _

_And speaking of house passwords, I've had to repeat it over a hundred times since the first day of school. And I can count on more, I'm sure. What was McGonagall thinking, making me head of Slytherin house? The next little shit that asks me for that bloody password is going to get it._

_Then I have kids coming to my class talking about how 'Professor Granger' is so nice and they ask me questions about her. What am I supposed to say about that? Why would I even know anything about her life? Just because we went to school together doesn't mean I know anything about her. And they should know that. _

_Granger's going around being all chipper and smiling at the first years and what not, so you can imagine how much whispering about how hot 'Professor Granger' is during class I have to endure. And it's like there's no stop to it. _

_She's just too damn charismatic. Everyone likes her. And as if it wasn't bad enough that I have to work with her, now I have to hear about her all day too. Hear about how she's so nice and friendly, and then get the cold shoulder during meal times with her. She tries to act like I'm not there. The kids don't know what their talking about. _

_As much as I'd like to say that I don't care, it really bothers me. So today at dinner I tried to start up a conversation, which inevitably ended up in a bit of word play. That smidgen of intelligible arguing ended up being exactly what I needed. I started saying things I didn't even believe, just to keep her going. She was so pissed by the end of it._

_Left dinner in higher spirits, and looking forward to more banter with her in the future. At least that way she can't ignore me._

_-Malfoy_

Hermione returned the letter to the box and smiled recalling that first argument. It was over the advancement of society. He was going on about the most ridiculous things and she just couldn't believe anyone could possibly have views like his. Turns out he was only pushing her buttons.

She picked up the lid to shoe box and put an end to her prying. She stared at the box for a while.

Just one more…

* * *

Draco looked out of the windows as they pulled into the parking lot of a park and wondered where exactly this was going. They drove to the back of the lot where it split off from being a park, into a forest.

Great, were they planning on dragging him in there and getting him lost? He thought about what he had in his pockets and started to calculate if there were enough small items to make a path with by discreetly dropping them on the floor.

When they parked, none of them opened their doors but they undid their seatbelts and relaxed in their seats. He wondered if this was another annoying thing where he was meant to ask what was going on. But no, Weasley started to move.

He took something out of his blazer jacket. A pipe. It was already packed and Weasley looked like a guy who should be sitting by the fire in a drawing room with the thing in his mouth and his brown blazer, as he pulled out a match and lit it.

As the silence stretched on, he figured that he would try his hand at the forced conversation that someone would inevitably have to start.

"So this is it?" he started, "sit around and watch Weasley smoke his pipe?" when no one answered he looked at Ron, "When did you take up the habit?"

Ron blew some smoke turning his head away politely as he did and then answered, "Actually, I took it up after I got left in charge of the shop. Calms the nerves," he said and then took another long drag and offered the pipe out to him.

Draco declined and relaxed in his seat figuring he would give up on this and just wait for whatever torture they really had up their sleeves.

They sat silently for a long time while he closed his eyes and took in the aroma of the tobacco. This tobacco smelled sweet and strange and… he was getting really dizzy. He felt like his body was lifting from the seat and he needed to keep himself strapped down. Maybe he should have stayed home today.

Draco put his hand on the door handle to try and ground himself but it didn't help. And then he opened his eyes, realized that they were all looking at him. Holy shit, there was a lot of smoke in here. He thought to tell Potter to roll down the windows, when it dawned on him.

He sat there gape mouthed at what was going on here. He was trying to find his anger, but it was lost. Floating out of him and swaying in the thick sweet smoke. Instead he looked at the others in the car and to his horror, he started laughing.

Really laughing. He couldn't even remember ever laughing this hard and every time he tried to stop himself it would just get worse.

"That's right," he heard Blaise say, "fun isn't it?"

"No- no I," he breathed out trying to stop his lips from stretching but failing. Then he couldn't even remember what he was saying.

"Exactly," Blaise said and then Potter and Weasley both laughed. Draco couldn't believe them, it was an old joke you played on your friends to get them to loosen up, but wasn't this stuff illegal in the muggle world?

"So," Ron started, "Tell us Malfoy, how are you feeling?"

Draco tried to tell him that this was fucked up, but instead he laughed and Weasley shook his head as though agreeing with Draco completely, which only fueled his hysteria.

Draco calmed himself down, he wanted to talk. He ran his hands through his hair to get his head to stay connected to his shoulders which only made an image of his head on a balloon string tied to his body, pop into his mind and he started laughing again.

What's worse is that he suddenly felt the need to explain it to them.

"My head," he started through his laughter and they all watched him with smiles, wanting him to continue. "My head on a balloon string," he stopped to snicker before continuing, "I was thinking about how if my head was a balloon, it'd fly away you know?" he asked willing them to get it and they all looked at each other before bursting into laughter.

Draco smiled, feeling stupidly glad that he'd conveyed that thought to them through this daze. It seemed somehow important. He noticed that Potter was really relaxed and he was too quiet.

"Hey," he said to him and Potter looked at him from over the seat, "You know what?" Draco continued, " it's not fair that your sitting there all quiet and I can't get myself to shut up," he said and Harry smiled and looked at Ron.

"Harry doesn't talk much. He's the quiet giggles kind of guy when he's like this," Ron said and then as if on cue Harry chuckled to himself before settling back into a quiet smile.

"Too bad," Draco was saying to no one in particular, "it doesn't work like that on Blaise." They all laughed.

"So, Draco," Blaise started and Draco knew in his tone that he wasn't going to like what came next but couldn't keep his reserve or his hard shell, from floating away. "You and Hermione…" Blaise started and Draco really wished that he didn't find all of this so hilarious.

"Whoa!" Ron started up before Blaise could finish. "Before you continue, I'd like to remind you to keep it rated PG-13. And I know that whenever we smoke you like to get into your dirty endeavors," he paused and shook his head as though recalling past conversations, "But Hermione's one of my best friends and I really don't want to hear it. Alright?" he warned and Blaise frowned at him.

"Buzz kill," he said and then shrugged, "Besides, he's not the only one in this car who's had sex with Hermione right?"

There was a strange mood that filled the car and then Draco realized that Hermione had lost her virginity to the guy sitting across from him. Then when his head started running around with disturbing images of the two, the most embarrassing thing came out of his mouth.

"She didn't tie you down did she? Bloody woman had me in bondage," he muttered and then laughed at the expressions on their faces even though he couldn't believe he'd just said that out loud, "I can't believe I just said that out loud."

Man, he hated this.

Harry filled the silence, "I don't think I'd mind being tied down," he said and they all looked at him surprised and then laughed.

"What next Harry?" Blaise asked, "After you're done with your S&M stage, gunna let some chick go number two on your chest?" He and Harry laughed while Ron looked offended and Draco didn't even know what to think of that.

"Come on Blaise," Ron started in disgust, "PG-13 remember?"

"You know it's not possible," Blaise shrugged, "All I'm saying is like, how do you even get to a point in sex where you think 'you know what baby, I want you to take a hot steaming dump on my chest?' And then supposing she does it, if you don't like the texture or something, is that a make or break for the relationship or what?" Ron shook his head at him and Blaise continued.

"No mate, I'm serious" he went on, "It's like me and feet. I really love all feet, but the one thing I can't do, is corns. I can forgive a blister of two, but corns…" then he looked thoughtful. "So would that be the equivalent of like, corn poop in the shit fetish world?"

Draco couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was a grown man, who had had plenty of sex, but the utter foulness was searing his ears. He'd known Blaise to talk about some pretty disgusting stuff, but this was out right too far even for him. He couldn't help but think that Blaise was secretly hiding all of this in his sick little head.

"Wait," Harry spoke up and they all looked over to him in shock, "No, he's right. Like if it was diarrhea, would that be considered a turn on, like some girls who can squirt? Like the bigger the mess the better?" he asked in a dead serious voice, as though they were debating politics and Blaise nodded in agreement like somehow this all made sense.

WTF? Draco was gagging. Man, when they set out to torture him, they knew what they were doing. He may be feeling fuzzy, but nothing was going to make this conversation okay. Luckily, he and Weasley were on the same page.

"Harry, you just go back to being the quiet one," he said shaking his head like he too couldn't believe they were trying to make sense of this. "Blaise has got us covered in the perversions area, alright?"

They all laughed.

_

* * *

Blaise,_

_I started playing a little game in class to get the students to wake up. Especially the first years. I had them at each others throats, competing for points against rival houses. It brings me back. _

_And you had better cut that 'you're acting like Severus' shit out. Although now, I can sympathize with what kind of idiocy he had to go through everyday._

_Luckily for me, I have the saving grace of Granger._

_It was the highlight of my day to see her at dinner after she had to deal with the first year Slytherins and Gryffindors I got all rallied up for war against each other._

_They have her class right after mine and you could just tell she knew it was my fault that she had to deal with those pissed off first years. But it's Granger so of course she didn't say anything to me about it._

_Ever civil Granger. The peace maker. And as much as I admired her ability to stay level headed even though she was fuming, I couldn't help but try and get her to snap at me. All there was were some harsh words and the clipped tone she's taken to giving me, when she's already decided not to waste her time arguing with me._

_Too bad she doesn't know that she's taking away the best part of my day by trying to act like she's too mature for our stupid fighting. She doesn't realize how fun it is and if I told her it would ruin the authenticity of it all._

_So I'll just have to try harder to piss her off. _

_I know I'm sick, but until I'm brinking on masochism, I think I'm good._

_-Malfoy _

Hermione had gone through a few more letters and was trying to stop herself but just couldn't. The way he wrote to Blaise was a side he'd never shown to her. He was honest and annoyed and sarcastic. Not that he hadn't been those things with her as well. But in these letters, he seemed unguarded. Comfortable and confident in a different way then he was with her.

With her it seemed like he was always hiding something, or trying to get around telling her things outright. Like he didn't want her to know the full scale of things. He always tried to lead her down a path with him, without telling her what he really wanted.

But these letters were him. Harsh and sad, but fun and open.

Unable to stop herself she pulled out another one, but this time to sedate the guilt she picked a random one, feeling like going in order was like stealing. At least if she tried to go in random order, she may not fully understand what's going on at the time. And it wasn't about knowing the whole story anyway. She just really wanted to hear the tone he used in the letters.

The next one was dated about a month ago. Just a little before the inter house rule.

_Blaise,_

_You motherfucker, I can't believe you. _

_Why would you have sex with Pansy? You just ruined a fine friendship is what you did. You know her, she's never going to speak to you again. _

_And don't feed me that 'I was drunk' stuff because I already know it's not true. I also know that you like Pansy more than you're letting on. _

_You want to tell me all this stuff about giving into my feelings for Granger, but unlike you I don't want to ruin a perfectly enjoyable relationship. We fight and we have witty banter and that's as far as that wagon is going._

_You need to fix things with Pansy before she cuts you out. And you know the only way to do that. I know it's not what you want to here, but you have to just confess to her and then stop your lecherous ways and settle down. _

_And I know your going to give me that 'look who's talking' crap, but Granger and I aren't even friends and that's the way I like it._

_So get on with it already. Before it's too late._

_-Malfoy _

_P.S. Mum wanted to know why her 'other son' hasn't come to see her in so long. You better pay her a visit soon. She only ever writes me to give you messages. Said she sent you a letter to your place and it was returned. Didn't tell her you were staying with Potter, huh?_

_How does it feel to have a mother's love I wonder. Maybe you could tell me about when you come back from seeing her._

Now Hermione was really tempted to go back and find out just when his feelings for her had changed so much. And how. How long had he liked her and she didn't know about it. Not that he was making an effort to let her figure it out, but she hated to think that he was going around all that time starting fights with her, just to get her attention.

She forced herself not to back track or to start going in order again. Instead she picked up another, closer to the end of box. She needed to end this before she read the whole damn thing like a dairy.

* * *

"Okay gentlemen," Ron said sitting up and putting his pipe back into his blazer pocket. "let's sober up." He tapped Harry on the shoulder and he put the keys in the ignition and put down the automatic windows.

"Hey Harry," Blaise said, "Let's go ride the swings."

Harry chuckled and hopped out of the car. Draco watched them run past an afternoon runner and laughed when the guy almost fell over and then flipped them off.

"Sorry old mad!" Blaise waved at the guy while still running for the playground. The runner shook his head looking completely aware that the hoodlums were under the influence.

They were so childish, Draco thought.

"You know," Ron started from beside him, "sometimes I think they're a couple." he announced and Draco laughed.

"I know right?" he agreed and then he was suddenly reminded of earlier this morning. "By the way Weasley," he started and then had to really focus to get his brain to find what he was trying to say, "thanks for this morning." he said.

Ron smiled and then shrugged. "no prob," he opened his door and started to get out, "You might want to get some air too. Hermione's going to slit our throats if we come back smelling like we do." he said and he and Draco shared a small smile before they got out of the car and watched Blaise jump from one of the swings in mid flight before landing face first.

Then his wife, Potter, ran to him while trying not laugh. Blaise turned onto his back laughing it up. They got up and headed for the car and Draco felt like he was having an outer body experience. Like all of this couldn't really be happening.

"Food!" Blaise said and there was agreement all around.

They all got back into the car and started down the road. Draco couldn't believe how starved he was. Just thinking of food was sending pangs through his stomach.

They pulled into the place that he remembered cataloging in his head. For some reason the huge bright yellow 'M' above the building was hilarious and as Harry started placing an order through a speaker box outside his window, he couldn't stop laughing.

"The 'M' on top of the building is gunna fall right through that roof," he said which had them all laughing, and the voice from the speaker was definitely annoyed as he asked Harry to repeat what he wanted.

"Like, a lot," Harry said and then had to stop his chuckling as he continued, "a lot of cheese burgers." He said and the voice boxed sighed before speaking.

"And what exactly do you consider 'a lot' sir?" he asked condescendingly and Harry laughed harder.

"How about 20?" Harry said and the voice box guy told them a total and asked them to drive up to the window.

When the guy got a look at them, he instantly seemed to know what was going on and he nodded knowingly before taking Harry's money and then passing them a bag through the window.

"Have a good day," the guy said with a smirk.

"You too mate!" Blaise said from the passengers seat as they drove out.

As soon as Harry parked the car, they were like a bunch of ravenous animals and as Draco bit into the greasy burger that on any other occasion he'd probably have refused to eat, he realized that he was having fun.

_

* * *

Blaise,_

_I can't take this anymore. Every letter is about her. It's really starting to piss me off that the only solace in my life can't stand me. _

_I feel like a stalker. I notice everything she does and for gods sake I somehow know her favorite food, color and book. How weird is that for two people who don't talk to each other? _

_Maybe you're right. Maybe I should just tell her. But none of that ridiculous 'just grab her and snog her senseless' trash you keep throwing at me. Granger's not that type. She'd most likely have my head for pulling a stunt like that so that's out. (no matter how much I wish I could)_

_McGonagall had a pretty stern conversation with me about her today. Told me I need to stop being a 'fool' and properly 'court Miss Granger'. What a riot, right?_

_Only, I kind of think she's right. It's my fault we all got stuck in this ruddy inter house stuff. All because I couldn't talk to her and I was using the students to get her to notice me at all. But I wouldn't know what to say to her outside of an argument. _

_Shit Blaise, I'm totally smitten. And it's almost sickening. The way I'm thinking about her…_

_And I know what you're thinking and I'm telling you right now that I don't care. At least I have the balls to admit that I like the girl, whereas you still haven't heard from Pansy because you're refusing to get over yourself. _

_We've all got to be humble sometime, you know?_

_Anyway, we've got our first assignment together tomorrow; babysitting our houses on a Hogsmead trip. I guess it's my chance to try and not fight with her. Hope she can't sense my anticipation. Fuck, this is crazy. She's not going to want to be anywhere near me tomorrow after how she gave me an earful tonight at dinner. _

_Admittedly though, we worked really well together coming up with a roster for the trip tonight, but even that ended up in us arguing over a couple of students that we weren't sure about putting together. _

_Suppose I'll just try and keep my mouth shut at Hogsmead and hope that she cares enough to start conversation with me._

_I'm fucked._

_-Malfoy_

Hermione put the letter back and looked up at the clock. This was enough. She wasn't being fair to him. If she wanted to know how he felt about her, she should just ask him when he gets home.

She put the box back in it's rightful place and took the chair back to the table.

She wanted to get the rest of the story from the horse's mouth. She wanted to know him like a best friend. Have him be able to tell her anything.

**Tiffany and Nate have a story, but fitting it in it taking some time. R&R**


	4. The Art Of Lying

**I have so much to do guys, so here's a little more.**

As of now, I want to update regularly but the chapters will probably be shorter and as such, won't contain a whole days worth of information on the characters. But I feel like if I give you at least a little every few days, it'll be better for all of us. For me because I can juggle school and fanfiction, and for you, so that you're not waiting so long for the next update that you forget what happened in the last chapter.

**That being said, I'd like to now talk about the last chapter.**

Thanks for all the great feed back. I was assuming that you all would be upset with the drug usage and i'd like to say that i believe that in Harry Potter world, herbologists would probably grow the stuff write along side many other medicinal plants. Weed, like other herbs, have properties that I think wizards would utilize. Also if you missed it, Draco refers to it as an old joke that wizards played on each other for fun.

So that's just how I see it and I didnt want anyone thinking that it was meant to be mindless drug use.

**As for the poop convo**

So I'm embarrassed to say that that conversation was one that my friends and I had a few weeks back, while I was writing 'Innerhouse'. I told them that if I wrote a sequel, I was going to find a way to add it in. And my friends and I are never under the influence, so we have no excuse. It seemed like a joke at the time, but there you have it. I really did it.

I guess your just lucky that I didn't make it as in depth as the original conversation, which was brought up because i was the only one of my friends that didnt watch 'two girls, one cup' and I'm damn proud of it.

So that's why you all had to endure that little talk last chapter.

**Other than that...**

I want to apologize in advance for the mistakes in this chapter. I was just tired of looking at it. So if you stumble on something spelled wrong, i would really love it if you pointed it out for me so that i can correct it.

Thanks guys, and enjoy the story. Don't worry there's no more toilet talk in this chapter.

* * *

Outerhouse Relations

Chapter 4

"Spencer!" Tanner called out to him as he tried to make a run for some alone time by going for a walk in the quaint suburban neighborhood. He stopped in annoyance at the front door and turned around, making sure that his face had assumed a smile, before meeting Tanners eyes.

"What's up," he asked and Tanner for a moment looked contemplative, like he was searching for something, and Spencer knew why.

Earlier he'd momentarily let his guard down around his new friend and the guy had glimpsed something he shouldn't have. It wouldn't have been a real problem if not for the fact that now Tanner was following him like a sick puppy.

Spencer had been having less control of his emotions lately, but this wasn't about him. It was about Damien and Danielle, he reminded himself. Things were fine as long as everyone else was happy.

Including Tanner and Jasmine. He didn't need to worry about himself, he would eventually be fine. Even if things felt like they'd never get better, he knew it was just signs of teenage angst.

He should know. Not because he'd experienced much of it himself, but because whenever anyone had a problem they came to him for help.

He was the go-to guy for advice and/or a laugh when things started to suck. How could he ever let himself feel down when everyone was counting on him to be uplifting? He'd given enough advice to know that he should just wait out this phase he was going through, and remember that it wasn't the end of the world.

At least that's what he would tell someone who came to him with the same dilemma. But taking your own advise was always a lot harder than sharing it with others, and he'd had to explain that one to plenty of people as well.

The point was that, no matter what, he wasn't going to ruin this trip for everyone over something that a few months from now would mean nothing.

"Oi, are you listening to me at all?" Tanner asked and Spencer realized that he was zoning out.

"Sorry, what?" he asked. It wasn't like him to not be paying attention to what others were saying and Tanner didn't miss the implication.

"You don't seem okay," he said and Spencer smiled having used the words often and knew what was coming, "You want to talk?"

Spencer had told enough people about the benefits of telling others your problems, but once again the thought of taking his own advice seemed really difficult. Had he always been such a hypocrite?

"I'm fine mate," he shrugged off. Well at least he would be if Tanner would just leave him alone for a sec.

Wow… he'd always told people to appreciate when a friend was trying to help, but now he understood first hand what it was like to want to be 'left the fuck alone' as plenty of people had referred to it.

Then again, he also would have told someone like Tanner to give his mate some space. This was all too complicated, but Spencer was set on getting away from him and his inquiring right now.

"Are you sur-" Tanner started, but Spencer was familiar with this routine and cut him off.

"Look Tanner, I'm good." he said with a casual laugh, "I'm just going to go for a walk. Give you guys some time to double date over there," he laughed and then before Tanner could get in another word, he opened the door and waved goodbye.

As he headed down the street, he let the cold winter wind chill him to the bone.

This is what he needed, he thought as the cold air sent sharp pains over his skin. A different kind of pain to combat the one he was already suffering from.

He smiled ruefully, thinking that he'd tell someone that masking emotional pain with physical pain wasn't an answer anyone needed. But here he was, letting his body go numb in the freezing draft, hoping it would take away the horrible feelings he was suffering from.

He touched his hand to his face, and just as he thought, he may not be able to feel his hands, but reality wasn't going to change itself no matter how much he tried to run from it and he was still feeling plenty of the envy that was eating him alive.

He hated when others came to him on the subject of jealousy. He always wondered why people couldn't appreciate what they had and understand that just because they didn't have what someone else did, it didn't mean that they were any worse off than the other person.

He always preached about finding the good in yourself and knowing that; it's easier to see the good in others than to see it in yourself. All we do is see our flaws, he'd say. And then he'd do a whole bit on reassuring the person that, whatever they were jealous about, just wasn't meant for them to have. Or that it wasn't their time yet. And even sometimes, that

they possessed the quality they were so envious of already, but just couldn't see it in themselves.

As he stood watching a light snow begin to fall, he realized that it was all psycho bullshit.

It was impossible that this scar would ever close up. And being here around what he wished he had was the salt on the wound.

* * *

As Draco exited the elevator on the top floor of Potter's apartment, with the rest of the gang, he knew that none of them were ready to face Hermione. He was vaguely aware that he was treading into dangerous territory here, but they were all laughing and having a good time so the warning went right over his head.

When they entered Harry's, Hermione was in the shower and they all lounged in the living room still chatting about… what was it now? Ah, yes, if you had a Pegasus, what would you name it?

Draco had gone for something generic and pet like, around the lines of Grunner, while Weasley insisted that you'd have to give it a 'badass' name.

"It's a damn _flying horse_," he was saying. "You cant just name it Bob. It has to be like… Thunder Horse, or something," he said and Blaise scoffed.

"I don't see why you can't just call him a real name. Like he's going to be upset if you gave him a normal name?" He argued, "It's not like you're going to dress it in knights armor, dawn a sword and start battling dragons to save a princess. It's just a pet."

Harry, who was finally talking again, countered.

"You never know," he said, "what if they're like hippogriffs and they get all offended about stuff." He stopped to think. "I'm, pretty sure he wouldn't want to be called Gertrude or something."

"Come on," Ron said in disbelief. "Why would you give him a boring human name? How about Destroyer," he offered and they all looked at him funny in the silence that followed. Ron frowned as the quiet looks of ridicule lasted a bit longer. "Fuck you guys," he said crossing his arms over his chest and they laughed. Then Hermione peeked her head into the living from around the hallway wall.

"Hey, you guys are back later than I expected," she said and Draco looked up at the clock realizing that they'd killed a good four hours.

"You in a towel again back there," Blaise asked and Draco was suddenly brought out of trying to figure out how they'd wasted so much time. He shot a look at Blaise who was intently watching Hermione.

His eyes were just begging for her to come from behind her cover.

Hermione cleared her throat. "Sorry," she said and then glanced at Draco who tried not to look too annoyed.

"Don't be sorry, darling," Blaise said, "why don't you come out here and hang out with us? We were just debating on what we'd name a Pegasus if we owned one."

Ron was looking from Draco to Blaise like he was ready for the fighting to start and Harry seemed ready to hop out of his seat to prevent damage at any second.

Draco gritted his teeth as Blaise met his eyes with a stupid smile on his face. Draco took a deep breath and stood from the armchair. Harry was on his feet in a flash and Hermione looked like she was bracing herself for the showdown.

Draco gave Blaise a long hard stare before walking past him, out of the living room, then grabbing Hermione around the waist and steering her to the room.

"Walk," he commanded pointing to Harry's door and she looked at him in shock before complying.

Before following after her, he gave Blaise one more once over and the guy just shrugged holding back a laugh that made Draco want to beat the shit out of him.

Draco entered Harry's room right behind Hermione and closed the door.

"Do you have to be so reckless?" he asked, not bothering to hide his annoyance anymore. Hermione looked up with that stupid 'I'm sorry' face and he glared at her before the words could leave her lips.

She blushed realizing the mistake she was about to make. "Oh right," she said, catching herself. "I'm just so used to it being just Harry, Ron and I," she explained and it didn't improve his mood to know that she walked around in a towel around those two out of habit. Even if they _were _like brothers to her.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying to remind himself that he didn't have the right to say anything to her about being jealous of Potter and Weasley. They were here first after all. He couldn't tell her to change how she acted with her best friends.

Right, the logic made a lot of sense as to why he shouldn't be upset that she would prance around in a tiny piece of cloth around them.

Nope, that just pissed him off more.

Why was he being such a controlling bastard? She wasn't a piece of meat that he owned, and he needed to be a gentleman and remember that. He sighed, trying to blow out the jealousy in one breath. Was his self esteem really so low now?

"Hermione," he started trying to gather his newly acquired patience, "just be more careful. I don't need all the jeering from Zabini, alright?" He was glad that his voice sounded calm. Actually, it was more like deflated, but either way, he wasn't scaring her off with his anger, so he was doing pretty good. She looked at him with a frown before sighing.

"You're always on your best behavior around me aren't you," she asked and he was caught off guard by the inquiry. What did that mean?

"Sorry?" he asked in confusion.

"Like, I can always tell when you're on the brink of being really mad at me and telling me off, but you refuse to do it. To tell me what you're really thinking," she said and he felt suddenly surprised that she'd known something like that about him. He thought that he was doing a pretty decent job of hiding the fact that she pissed him off a lot of the time. Before he could stop himself; he said the first thing that came to mind.

"I feel like if I tell you what an idiot you are sometimes, I'll run you away," he blurted and she looked up at him appalled. "Shit," he murmured, "I mean, I don't think you're stupid, you just act it a lot when it comes to me." He sighed, and then ran a hand through his hair when he realized that that was just as bad.

"Oh," she replied and he didn't have to look at her to know that she was offended. But when she spoke again her voice was compliant. "I know that it's true, it's just that…" She paused and he looked up at her. "You don't make it easy to be smart around you. If I want to know anything about you, I have to ask you really stupid questions. It's not like you're offering up buckets of information on yourself, you know?" She explained and he sighed.

She had a point. He did shelter her from gaining knowledge about him. He recalled their first 'date' at The Three Broomsticks and her attempts at figuring him out.

"I…" he thought for a second. He hated when he had to think about things before saying them.

"Stop it!" she yelled and he was taken by surprise. "Don't think about it. Just say it." When he looked a little confused she continued, "when you stop to think about something before you say it, I know you're trying to make the words fit to me and I don't need you to do that. Just spit it out, whether it's rude or crass." She elaborated, and then looked suddenly sad, "Don't doctor yourself for me. I can handle it." She finished and he was taken aback.

When had she figured him out like this? Just a few day ago she didn't understand him at all. What's changed?

"Have you been talking to Zabini?" he asked, feeling suddenly suspicious, but more than anything, exposed. It's not that he didn't want Hermione to know him more, it's just that it was kind of creepy that she would gain this strange grasp of him out of nowhere.

"What?" she asked confused, "No, why?"

Draco relaxed a little. Not only was it nice to know that she wasn't swapping stories with Zabini, but he also realized that no matter what, Blaise would never tell her anything personal about him like that.

Even though it didn't seem like it from the outside looking in, he and Blaise were really good friends and there was absolute trust between them. Even this whole flirting with Hermione thing he was doing right now was just to piss Draco off and he knew it. He just couldn't completely let himself out rule the fact that Zabini might take things too far and lay a hand on Hermione.

"Draco?" she asked and he shook his head, remembering the conversation.

"No, I just didn't want you getting too close to him you know?" he lied, not willing to admit that he was ready to accuse her of having gotten info about him from Zabini. She'd probably take offence to him thinking that she'd go behind his back to learn about him. After all, she was goody Granger. Anything she wanted to know from him, she would force it out of him like the civil abiding person she was.

"He was just pulling your leg before and you know it," she said, referring to what had just happened in the living room. "I think he just wants to get a reaction out of you and you're fueling him on by getting so mad about it," she said and he smiled in response.

"I know," he sighed, "but he shouldn't talk to you like that, even if it's a joke." He got angry just thinking about it. Disrespecting Hermione like that, he just wanted to slug him one good one. Right in the…

"But he likes Pansy so you should stop being so-"

"Wait, what?" he asked. Why would she know that? Was she lying about chatting with Blaise? But no, because even to this day, Blaise refuses to admit he likes Pansy, so she hadn't heard it from him, that's for sure. Maybe she heard from Potter.

But that wasn't right either. Blaise had mentioned that he didn't talk to Potter about Pansy because Potter couldn't stand her. He said he never told Potter what happened with her because he was afraid Potter would be pissed that he'd done the nasty with Pansy, in Potter's godson's room, when it was a rule of the house that all sex be done off of the Potter premises to ensure that Blaise's hoeing around didn't become a problem in the home.

"Did he tell you that?" Draco asked frowning. "That he liked her?"

"What?" she asked, but as her face went red and she avoided his eye, he knew something was going on. She was hiding something from him, and by the looks of it she was afraid of him finding out.

Which made it a sure thing that he was determined to know what it was.

* * *

Hermione knew that she'd just let the cat out of the bag. Now it was a just matter of trying to cover it up.

"Harry mentioned something about Pansy a while back," Hermione tried but Draco was looking thoroughly unconvinced, even before she was finished. "So I just assumed that they were a thing."

"Right," Draco said slowly, and Hermione could tell that he was going to grill her about details. And in that really annoying way he had with words, that leads you along on a string. She wasn't going to be able to outwit him if he started that up. So a diversion was at hand.

"By the way," she started, smiling up at him, "this seems like a good time to practice that whole, saying sorry without the words thing." For a moment, he was deterred from his original goal, as a little smirk crept onto his face. But it was short lived as he frowned.

Shit, he was on to her.

She pressed on with her plan of attack by getting up close and personal. She stood on her tip toes and wrapped her arms around his neck. She could tell he was grappling with pushing her away and starting his interrogation, or pulling her close and letting her 'apologize' to him.

She was glad to know that his inability to turn down a chance for flirting outweighed his interest in her little slip up, as he let his hands rest on her waist. She smiled up at him.

"Sorry, my hair's all wet," she said and he grinned.

"I hope it's not the only thing," he replied and she was shocked at his reference.

"Draco!"

"You told me not to think about what I want to say, no matter how crass," he laughed and she blushed.

"I didn't mean for you to just throw manners to the wind," she argued and he shrugged.

"Either you want me to be a gentleman, or you want me to be myself," he joked, "So what is it?"

"And here I thought you had it all," Hermione smiled, "chivalry really is dead then, isn't it?"

He laughed. "Not when I'm trying to bed you," he said and she was again taken aback by his language.

"Well obviously you're not trying to be too much of a gentleman at the moment with that statement," she said. "So I can also assume that your lack of sweet talk means that you also have no interest in 'bedding' me as well then?"

Draco smiled at her and she felt like he was assessing her ability to out talk him.

"Actually," he started, "as the gentleman that I am, it's only right to do as the lady asks. And if the lady asks me to be straight forward with her, and I happen to be a bit of a pervert when I comply, does that in turn mean that she has the right to refuse me sex for acting like the pig she asked for?" He laughed and she frowned at him shaking her head.

"I suppose it's a paradox," she finalized and he nodded in agreement before kissing her lips.

Yes! Her plan had worked. She was getting off Scot-free.

He backed her to Harry's bed and as he laid her down and got between her legs, he somehow managed to never part from her. Finally, when he pulled away, he went for the towel, and Hermione, remembering where they were; caught his hand.

"We can't," she said, feeling dizzy and breathless. He dropped his head onto her chest and let out a long heavy sigh.

"Of course…" He muttered, sitting up and adjusting himself as he stood from the bed. Hermione smiled. He really was a gentleman. "Hurry up and get some clothes on before I change my mind and drag you to a hotel," he mumbled, heading for the door.

She laughed, sitting up from the bed as he opened the door and stepped out into the hall. Before closing the door, he looked at her with a smile. "I'll let you come up with a better lie before I get back to you on that Pansy thing," he said and Hermione's smile disappeared. "And it was a very nice tactic of distraction by the way. If you'd have let me get that towel off, I may have completely let everything go," he laughed and then shut the door.

**So there you go. In the next chapter I'll write the kids going to the rock show and Hermione will try to cover her tracks. **

**Let me know what you think and I want to get the next part up by thu, so wish me good luck on finding the time to get it done.**

**BTW. anyone want to guess whats up with Spencer. just curious to know what it sounds like to you guys.  
**


	5. Well Laid Plans

**Don't hate me! lol. **

**Thanks for all the feedback on Spencer. Lol. I won't say anything about what I think of your answers, but I do hope to surprise some of you. (evil grin)**

**Here's a short recap for you since I took so long on this chapter that you may have forgotten the entire story by now:**

Hermione read Draco's letters to Blaise while the boys ditched out on the trip to the mall and got high instead. When Draco returned, Hermione let it slip that she knew about Blaise and Pansy. Draco gave her time to think up an excuse…

On the students side…

They're going to a venue to see the local bands play tonight. Something is wrong with Spencer and Tanner has made it his duty to find out.

**Finally, on to chapter 5: Well Laid Plans**

**Outerhouse Relations**

**Chapter 5**

**

* * *

**

"_Cannabis_, Ronald?!" Hermione questioned in outrage.

Draco watched as Hermione backed Ron to a wall looking up at him as if she was seven feet tall and he was a child. She clutched a small red velvet pouch in her hand that she'd frisked off of Ron after his little slip up at the dinner table.

"Come on Hermione," he smiled awkwardly his hands in the air like this was a stick up. "You act like its Illegal," he tried which was apparently the wrong thing to say. Hermione's jaw dropped from shock for a moment before a look of fury took over her features.

"Well, yes Ronald, it just so happens that it is!" She yelled, then she shot a look over her shoulder at Harry with what Draco could only describe as a 'you should know better, even if he doesn't' look which made Harry bow his head in shame.

Then she turned to Blaise and Draco was shocked to see that even Zabini looked abashed. "Cannabis incasing him…what are you all, fifteen?" She gave each of them a hard look and as her gaze met theirs, they one at a time shrank back.

(A/N Cannabis incasing=_wizard for hot boxing_)

On a side note, Draco mentally sized up how sexy she was at the moment. This was the Hermione he'd secretly fancied during their school days. Too bad she only acted this way with her 'brothers' because Draco wouldn't mind having a run in with her when she was like this.

"You could have been arrested, do you realize that!" she went on. "And you." She said turning her attention on him for the first time since the scene began. He felt a rush of excitement as he met her flushed face and her flashing glare, but his face remained neutral.

She stalked over to him and he held back his smile as she stopped right in front of him planting a finger in his chest. "Why didn't you tell me what happened?" she demanded as she nudged him with her finger. "Joke or not, you should have said something to me."

Draco tried to keep his composure, but for the love of god, she was just too adorable. When his face cracked a slight smile and he had to cover it up with his fist, she stepped back a bit shocked. One glance at her face and it was over. He burst out laughing.

Both Ron and Harry sucked in breath as though his behavior to one of Hermione's lectures was unheard of, which Draco didn't notice because he was clutching his stomach with one hand and holding himself up with the other on one of his knees.

When he could breathe again he looked up at the shocked faces and then cleared his throat.

"Sorry," he said trying to clear out the laughter.

Hermione looked so offended that he had to fight off another fit. He stood up straight and then reached for her hand which she promptly pulled away.

"You think it's funny, do you?" she said and he shook his head afraid to open his mouth without another chuckle escaping. "You really do, don't you?"

He uncharacteristically avoided her eyes which he cursed himself for as it was an unspoken vindication of sorts. And with that she stormed off.

He looked up at the rest of them and both Ron and Harry looked flabbergasted while Blaise shrugged.

"What?" he asked with a small laugh and Ron came over placing a hand on his shoulder in a comforting act.

"I wouldn't wish the type of apology it's going to take to get her to forgive you, on anyone." He said in a serious tone and Draco frowned then turned to Harry for confirmation. Harry shook his head at him, the pity rolling off of him in waves. Draco scoffed, it couldn't be that serious he thought, and as if Harry had just used legilimency, he answered the unspoken inquiry.

"It is," he said and then went into another bout of head shaking.

"But it was hilarious," he countered and Ron looked up at him cocking an eyebrow.

"Not when you grow up with her having to hear that every week or so." He said and Harry nodded his head in agreement before speaking.

"Yeah, and we learned our lesson about belittling her attempts at correcting our behavior," he sighed recalling the thought.

Apparently, Ron was having the same recollection and the face he sported was one of pain. "Horrible it was."

Draco was starting to understand.

"So," he started trying not to sound as eager as he really was, "What happens now?"

Ron gave his shoulder another hard squeeze, "For Harry and I, weeks if not months of the cold shoulder. For you, who knows?" Ron shrugged then gave one last pitying look before stepping away. "We don't know if she'll be more or less offended that it was her boyfriend, but I guess we'll all soon find out." He said taking a seat on the sofa.

Draco was starting to feel something in his chest that distinctly resembled the feeling of panic. He wasn't getting enough of Hermione as it was now. How was he going to get through the rest of this trip with her ignoring him?

Blaise cleared his throat and approached Draco solemnly, which if Draco had been paying more attention to his actions, would have been tipped off by the foul play at hand. But as his head was on other matters, Blaise's show of feeling sorry for someone, (which Draco knew he was incapable of,) went unnoticed.

"You better go and apologize mate, before it gets worse." He said and steered Draco toward Harry's room. Draco, in a state of shock silently complied.

After Blaise watched to see that Draco had closed the door to Harry's behind him, the three males in the room broke into soft laughter.

"The second part of the plan went swimmingly," He said turning to Ron. "Really nice acting on the slip up at the dinner table," Blaise congratulated him and the red head stood up to take a bow before falling back on the couch.

"It was brilliant, I know," Ron said with the conceit of a king then sighed, and Harry shook his head at him before turning to Blaise.

"And I can't believe you knew he'd laugh at her." He said in wonderment.

"Well I didn't know he would crack up in her face that way, but he loves poking fun at her when she's angry, so I assumed the outcome would be the same." He shrugged like it was nothing, but his words were egotistical in sound.

Harry gave him the same head shaking treatment he'd given Ron.

"Well," Ron started, clapping his hands together, "Now that we've successfully ruined Malfoy's vacation for a time, what shall we do next?"

Blaise stepped into the kitchen, opened a cabinet revealing a bottle of fire whisky and some shot glasses.

"I would say that a toast to our ingenious plans is at hand," he said as he started pouring glasses and both Ron and Harry laughed taking one.

"To…" Ron began and then looked contemplative.

"To," Blaise started, "Pissing Draco off being the best fun I've had in a while." He offered with a laugh.

"I can toast to that," Ron said, clinking his glass to Blaise's before they both downed their drinks."

Harry watched the two of them refill their glasses and he suddenly had the feeling that they shouldn't be celebrating just yet. After all, Hermione and Draco were both smart, and being found out was a high risk. And if Ron and Blaise thought that they were smart, he would hate to see what a Malfoy and Granger alliance would entail for revenge.

The best he could hope for was that the two of them made up before anything really bad happened. And they probably would. Hermione could hold a grudge like no other, but she seemed to be weak when it came to Malfoy.

Yeah, he though trying to trick himself into thinking that what they'd done wasn't _that_ bad, they'd get over it before they realized he or the others had anything to do with it.

As he watched Blaise and Ron laugh stupidly and ready themselves for their third shots, he was suddenly realizing that he'd most definitely sided with the wrong company.

* * *

As Danielle laughed and talked with Brad, it should have, and usually would have, kept Damien on his toes about whether or not the bastard was trying to move in on his, not official yet, but soon to be, girlfriend. Instead, as the music pumped in his ears and the dark musty place around him teemed with light hearted fun, he found his mind too busy with other matters to attribute their banter to casual flirting and more to just being part of the over all feel of the place.

That being said, it was known to many that Damien wasn't the most observant of people. Still, it wasn't hard to see that there was something going on between Flores and Spencer. And that's where he was in his head right now, not noticing the way Brad was looking at Danielle, or the way she was politely trying to avoid his attraction as they talked.

No, Damien's focus was on Flores. Tanner was watching Spencer so hard, it looked like his eyes were going to fall out. The guy had been doing it all day.

Damien let his vision follow Flores' gaze, finding Spencer seated at a table with the muggles, laughing in that easy way he had with people. There was nothing out of the ordinary as far as Damien could see. Turning back to Flores, Damien wondered what the hell had his knickers in a twist.

To be honest, Damien wanted to see whatever it was that Tanner was seeing right now. He'd watched as the two of the them had traded words earlier today, seen how Spencer was acting like his normal self but also uncharacteristically avoiding Tanner. It wasn't a mystery that something could be amiss in his best friend's life right now, it was just that he kind of hated the fact that he was only aware of this because he saw it through Tanner's actions and not Spencer himself. And as stupid as it seemed, the fact that Tanner had been able to slip through Nix's happy bloke guise, or that Spencer had let his guard down enough around the guy to let Flores in on the secret, whether it was accidental or not… well it pissed Damien off.

As he watched Tanner watch Spencer, that worried look on his face, it had dawned on him for the fist time that he had never found cause to look that way at Nix. Not because Spencer had never had a bad day, it was more that Damien had never been a good enough friend to notice it apparently. He had never been able to see through his best friends joking nature enough to really be a best mate, which up until now he never really could see himself doing. Not that Nix was making any attempt at asking for a shoulder to cry on or anything, it's just that Damien realized that, should his mate really ever ask for a shoulder, it may not be his.

Worse, was that it may just be Flores' and he was… jealous.

He looked over to Spencer again, and again hated that he couldn't see what was obvious to Tanner even though Damien had known the guy a lifetime longer than him.

Maybe it had always been there and he was just too much of a self centered twat to have ever noticed until now.

He sighed.

It was true. Up until just now, he had never even considered that there could be something wrong with the guy who always made everything right. Never thought that Spencer needed help fixing a problem of his own because he was so experienced with everyone else's. No one was there for his mate who was there for everyone. It was strange and disgustingly sentimental, but Damien suddenly didn't like the idea of how lonely Spencer may be because they were unable to talk.

And it was better off that it be Tanner if anyone, Damien thought. Because as much as he'd like to think that he could help his friend, he had to be honest with himself and admit that, whatever Spencer's problem was, Damien just didn't have it in him to hand out advice. God, he was useless. After everything that Spencer had done for him over the years, he had nothing to offer. He wasn't even decent enough to recognize when Spencer, and he must do it a lot, was faking that cheery demeanor.

Well the least he could do, he decided, was to make sure that he kept a close eye on Flores. The sooner Tanner had a chat with Spencer, the better. Damien was going to at least leave his trust in someone who could get through to the person he owed a lot of his good fortune to. Yes, Tanner was the right person for the job, and Damien needed so swallow his pride and just wait it out for them to get all buddy-buddy.

For once it wasn't about him. All that mattered was that Spencer was alright.

**I know that it's super short but i had to get something up. I wanted to put it out there that Damien isnt a horrible friend who doesnt know whats going on.**

**Good news is that i know exactly what i want to happen, so all you have to do is wait for me to type the crap out and post it.**

**I HATE SCHOOL!!!!1111 why cant i have a Professor Malfoy???!!!?!?**

**If you find spelling mistakes (which you will) report them to me. i was in a hurry when i posted this.**

**REVIEW! ^_^**


	6. Draco Malfoy

**So, this chapter only had Draco and Hermione. **

**It's hard for me to think that Draco was once and innocent child, so i'd like to know what you thing about this chapter, and what you think Draco should do everything.**

**other than that, I have mid terms this week and then spring break! so i'll get up at least two chapters next week. ^_^**

**R&R  
**

* * *

Outerhouse Relations

Chapter 6

Draco Malfoy had many quirks in his personality and even more pet peeves. Being raised as a spoiled rich boy, he was bound to. He could be pretty easily angered by not getting what he wanted, even if he didn't always show it. It was only normal that a boy with his upbringing be used to undivided attention and respect.

So, even if Draco would never admit it, the biggest thing that he feared about life was being ignored.

The strange thing was that it wasn't because of all the afore mentioned reasons. Sure he'd always had plenty of attention, what with servants and house elves there to cater to his every need. But it wasn't because he'd been showered in attention that made him unable to stand not having it, it was that they were never the ones that he begged notice from.

* * *

Draco remembered when he was seven and Sarah, his nanny and tutor at the time had been taking care of him one day. Draco's mother had gone to visit the Blacks for the weekend and his father had promised Narcissa that he'd come home early to have dinner with Draco, so that their son wouldn't eat alone.

Sarah had just removed him from the tub and was drying him off with a towel, when she'd asked him if he was excited to be having dinner with his father tonight.

Draco remembered her smiling at him and how he wanted to exclaim how much he was looking forward to it. Instead he'd done what his father had always taught him, and controlled his facial features and voice.

"I guess," he'd replied with a shrug and he blushed when she looked him in the face with a knowing smirk. He wasn't doing a good job at pretending that seeing his father and getting to eat dinner with him, wasn't the greatest treat in the world.

"You'll be a fine man Draco," she said ruffling his hair with the towel before letting it fall to cover his face playfully.

At the time Draco had thought that he'd hid his emotions well and that she hadn't noticed his very un-Malfoy like behavior by getting excited to spend time with his dad. The Draco of now however, now knew that she'd been covering his face to save him the embarrassment she knew he'd feel at not living up to the families emotionless expectations.

Sarah had always been his favorite nanny for those very reasons. She'd always made him feel like he were the man of the house. Smiling at his attempts to not be swayed by candies and cakes that she made for him. Never saying a word when he held his head high, and swore he was only eating the sugary stuff because he didn't think it was right to turn down a present from a lady.

Or when she gave him his reading lessons and he couldn't figure out a word, she let him try as many times as he liked. And as not to step on his young and fragile pride, she would miss hear his pronunciation and pretend that he'd gotten the word right at some point.

"That's right Draco, " she'd say, "_Enticing_ is the word. Now let's read the sentence from the beginning."

Sarah was always saying things like, "The young master is such a gentleman," or "What a charming man you'll make some day," and the like.

As Sarah combed his hair back and dusted off the shoulder of his best dress robes, she smiled at his reflection in the mirror. She knew that he was anxious, even if he was trying with all his might to hide it. Of course she didn't call out his weakness. Instead she took his hand and started down the stairs.

"Sorry to have you holding my hand," she said, "It's just that I'm terribly excited and a bit nervous, so I could use your strength for the moment."

Draco had squared his little shoulders and stood upright, clutching her hand tight to 'support her' as they walked.

"Don't worry Sarah." He said, "don't be scared, I'm not."

She'd just smiled down at him and nodded.

When they entered the dining hall, Draco pulled his hand away so that his father would not see, while Sarah took a standing position near the door.

And there he was, Lucius Malfoy, sitting at the head of the table, looking like a king. His long blonde hair pulled back and his sharp blue eyes looking down at the world because his chin was raised so high.

Draco remembered wondering if he himself, would ever look so amazing. So frightening and powerful.

"Draco," his father greeted in his bored drawl, while his eyes assessed his sons appearance. When it seemed that he was satisfied with what he saw, Draco returned the greeting.

"Father," he said and as he took a seat across from him at the table, he was proud of himself for not sounding the least bit as entranced or excided by his dad's presence as really he was.

Without another word, Lucius began his meal, while Draco sat in the silence trying to keep his manners about him and not call attention to himself.

That was what his father liked most in a son, not having to be reminded that he had one.

And as Draco tried to make as little sound with his fork clinking against the fine china, his mind was listing off all of the things he'd like to talk to his father about. He wanted to hear his dad's voice and admire it's cool drawling tone that Draco tried to emulate. To watch the sneer that made his father fearsome when he talked of things he hated, or to even glimpse the self satisfied smirk that, Draco himself, had already inherited.

Still, he knew better than to speak out of turn. Quietly he made it through the courses of food, and by dessert he was antsy and itching to be seen by Lucius. To be noticed just once.

Unable to control himself, as a seven year old sometimes was, he spoke.

"Father?" he uttered, and the emission seemed to go unheard as Lucius, without pause continued to eat. Draco raised his voice and tried again. "Father?"

Draco was sure that his father had heard him, yet Lucius didn't break in his consumption. Draco felt frustration rise in him and swallowed it down. _How unbecoming of him to have felt irritation_. He took a deep breath. He wanted to tell his dad about the book that Sarah and he had finished today. He wanted his father to look at him with that rare affection and pride that Lucius reserved for upper class gatherings, when Draco was his single model pureblood son and heir to the Malfoy name.

Draco Craved it.

"Dad," he said pitifully, looking up at his stony faced father with what he knew was probably a disgraceful look of desperation on his face.

"Sarah," Lucius spoke calmly and Sarah approached, head bowed as if she were the one who had done wrong. He let her stand beside his chair while he looked ahead of himself thoughtfully and chewed another small bite of his food. He swallowed, picked up his napkin, spotted at the corners of his mouth and then set the cloth down beside his plate, before addressing her.

"Put him away," he spoke softly. "He's sullied my night."

Sarah bowed and helped Draco from his chair. Draco's heart was racing, his face hot and his eyes stung. Would his father really not address him, even in distaste. He tried to contain his anger and not add another badge of indignity to his father's night, as Sarah placed a hand on Draco's back and steered him to the door.

"Sarah," Lucius called again before they were out of the threshold, and Sarah spun them both around as Lucius gracefully stood and straightened his robes. He moved around the table and as he approached them, his eyes stayed glued to Draco's, and Draco tried to blink away the stinging in his eyes and knew that they glistened shamefully.

When Lucius was standing only a foot away he slowly turned his gaze on Sarah. Then with a swift grace that only his father could possess, he struck her face with the back of his hand, sending her to the ground. The jewel of his wedding ring had opened a gash from ear to nose across her cheek, and the blood swelled.

"I expect you to be packed and gone within the hour. You seem to be having a poor influence on the boys etiquette," he said, while looking at his ring as he centered it on his finger. When he seemed to have perfected it's placement, he walk out of the doors of the dining hall without a second glance at either of them.

Looking back, Draco realized that it had been Sarah's mistake to have placed that comforting hand on Draco's back in front of his father. Just that small gesture had been a sign of her weakness to Lucius Malfoy. And he thought of weakness as a plague that would surly spread to his son. And in truth, it had. Sarah's kindness was contagious.

Draco remember standing there, looking down at Sarah with his eyes wide, unable to move. He remembered feeling his tears being hot against his cheeks and he also recalled wishing that it had been him instead.

That his father couldn't even be bothered to strike his own son when displeased with him, had brought Draco to the understanding of just how invisible he really was to his father. The only person in the world that he wanted to see him.

His father had never struck him, never found him important enough to strike. A servant's follies were more cause for his concern than his own son. In the coming years after that night, Draco had realized how strange it was to wish that his father would be abusive to him, as he was with everyone else in the house. His father's cold mental cruelty was unmerciful, and had Draco's will broken more effectively than any beating could have managed, by the time he was of school age. And Draco supposed that that was what his father had been going for. And for Lucius, it was a job well done.

* * *

He didn't expect for people to understand, not that he'd have told anyone, but being ignored was more hurtful than anything anyone could possibly do to him.

It was no surprise that when he'd entered school he was such an attention seeking little twat, and he supposed he was really no different from any other bully with problems at home. So he wasn't about to start boo hoo-ing over the things he'd had no power over in his life.

Either way, Hermione's ability to ignore him was stabbing him deeper than she could possibly know. He'd hated her for it during school, and had been extremely put out by it when they started working together, and now he was feeling hurt by it. She made him feel insecure and insufficient.

It was just like that dinner with his father. Although he hated his weakness, he craved her attention and approval. And even though it was as stupid now, as it had been then, he was ready to do, or say anything, to stop this unbearable silence.

He couldn't tell her about this traumatizing childhood experience which led to his needing her to talk to him right now, even if that was what he was supposed to do in this situation. Instead he could handle something that had less of an effect on his long term mental state in life to get her attention. He had plenty of traumatizing stories he could share and she was dying to know more about him. Why not start with the most recent and last of the traumas his father would inflict in his life time?

Draco hated this vulnerability. Hated even more that it was such a weakness, that he was willing to dredge up the past, something he avoided religiously, in order to have Hermione rapt by his presence. Sickened by the fact that, the thought of her being gripped in his life stories, was comforting to him at all. But hey, he was fucked up, and at least he was contented with the fact that, if he had to tell anyone, it would be her he could trust.

* * *

Hermione sat in the middle of Harry's bed with her Zune at full volume, reading her book, and trying her best not to look at Draco, who was sitting quietly behind her against the headboard.

To be completely honest, yes, she was angry with him for laughing in her face the way he had, but she was more than aware that he could hardly help himself. She'd learned from time spent with him, and his letter to Blaise, that he loved to see her riled up and she found it somewhat endearing in truth.

No, the reason she was being so hard on him, was because she could use this time to her advantage, and try to come up with a way to explain about that Pansy incident. Okay, so it wasn't right and it wasn't fair, but she found herself being more and more dishonest with her morals and herself, the longer she spent with him.

She couldn't understand what was wrong with her, and just as she started to contemplate the 'whys' of her stupidity around him, her ear plugs were gently removed from her ears.

She was ready to turn to him and shoot him a scowl, but before she could face him, she was drawn backward by the hips. He moved her as easily as if she were a rag doll and in moments she was positioned between his legs, with her back to his chest and his arms caging her.

He rested his forehead on her shoulder and sighed, and it felt magnificent being in close proximity like this. But if she gave in now, she'd be facing a worse situation soon after.

"Malfoy, I-," Hermione started, not about to let herself be so easily swayed, but he cut her off.

"After the war," he started, his voice deep, clear, and exasperated, and Hermione closed her mouth and sat still, realizing the weight of what was coming. He let the statement hang in the air for a while and Hermione waited patiently for him to continue. The sound of one of her favorite songs, Silvia by Miike Snow, creating a strange mood setting tone, from her fallen ear buds.

"After the war," he started over, having seemed to gain some resolve, "I was acquitted for being underage and working for the dark lord with family circumstances against me. My father had not yet been sentenced, but we all knew what was coming for him." Draco took a pause as if thinking of all the unforgivable things his father had done and the punishment that awaited him.

"He asked me to go to America with all the money I'd inherit soon and hide him as a fugitive. He told me that I would never be accepted back into society here. That I was the reason for Dumbledore's death and could never be forgiven by the wizarding world." He let out a dry laugh. "Suppose he was right about that last part," he added bitterly and Hermione couldn't help but squeeze his hand once, then remembering herself and his hatred for pity or comforting, she resisted doing it again. This time it seemed though, that he appreciated the small gesture as he gave her neck a light kiss before continuing.

"He guilted me into agreeing, but when I asked him about mother, I started to think twice about what I was doing for the first time. He was going to leave my mom here alone and have her confess to more than half of his crimes because he knew she would get off easier, having never been a Death Eater herself and using wanting to protect me from the Dark Lord, as an excuse." His body tensed and Hermione imagined that he was recalling the exact words of the conversation.

"And my mother…" he started again with a sort of disgust in his tone, "had agreed to it without a second thought. She didn't want him to end up in Azkaban. Why? After all he did to her. I still don't understand, but I realized that if I helped him get away, he'd continue to control our lives forever and my mom, although she still doesn't understand it, deserved better than that."

Hermione smiled at his declaration and then suddenly felt horrible. Here he was, telling her all of this because he wanted her forgiveness for something that she wasn't even all that mad about. All she was thinking about was saving her own skin about the Pansy thing and he was trying to better their relationship.

"Anyway," he said, acquiring that strain in his voice that people get when they've come to the part of the story that they don't want to relive.

It was the same with reading the letters she thought, she felt like she was stealing something from him. And just as she was feeling monstrous enough to let him continue, her morals kicked into automatic.

"Wait," she said, and couldn't believe she was doing this. Without facing him, she shut her eyes and spit it out before she lost her courage. "I…, I read your letters."

There was a long pause where neither of them moved. Finally Draco spoke.

"What letters?"

Oh great, he didn't know about them and now she was going to have to explain…

"The ones to Blaise," she said firmly, trying not to cower and she could feel him stiffen behind her.

"What?" he breathed out softly, his confusion mounting.

"In the box, in his closet. He has all the letters you wrote him since starting work at Hogwarts," she continued and could tell that realization was setting in as his chest began to rise and fall more rapidly. He was obviously trying to control himself as he spoke again.

"Did he give them to you to read?" he asked and Hermione didn't know if she was safer staying close to him so that he would stay in check, of if she should just hop away. She decided to stick close. If she ran away, he would be even more angry with her.

"I found them while you were out today," she admitted and it was like signing her own death warrant. He took deep shaky breaths and then Hermione, as she was bound to do in this situation, said something stupid.

"I'm _so_ sorry Draco..."

Draco pulled his arms away from her, climbed off the bed and stood staring at her like he'd never seen her before. A mix of confusion and disbelief on his face that Hermione could never have imagined him sporting until now.

"Draco…" she tried, her voice giving its first quiver, and he just shook his head 'no' slowly.

"Just," he started, shutting his eyes and gritting his teeth like he was fighting back a migraine. He stayed like that for a few breaths and then opened his eyes, looking deep into hers. "Just…" he tried once more, and then shaking his head 'no' again as if there were no words, he left the room.

Hermione sat there and weighed her chances at making this relationship last. With betrayal and distrust tipping the scale in favor of 'not so clean break up', she was preparing for the worst. She couldn't imagine forgiving someone for something like that. And if she, of all people couldn't do it, how would Draco?

**What did you think of kid Draco ^_^?**

**What would you do if you where him?**

**What would you do if you were Hermione?  
**


	7. Ron Weasley

**Things suck right now!**

**I want to get the ball rolling but I can't!**

**Anyway, againg, this isn't much, but i want to give you guys a taste of my kind of Ron.**

**the Years after the war have made him a better man i hope. **

**i wanted him to be his angry self but at least have a bit of good reason for it. with the way things were at home with Fred, i imagine that he had to grow up a bit.**

**let me know what you think. **

**and if you could, forgive the waits. SORRY!

* * *

**

**Outerhouse Relations **

**Chapter 7**

Blaise stood with Ron and Harry, as Hermione, through a pillow, recapped what had just sent Draco flying through the front door.

Maybe for the first time since this whole Draco and Hermione fiasco had started, he didn't feel like laughing at the two of them.

What Hermione did was, in Malfoy translation, high treason.

"So…" Harry finally braved the inevitable '_resolution'_ conversation, "basically, he was being honest with you and you couldn't help but tell him the truth." He summed up.

Hermione, still flat on her stomach with her face in the pillows, nodded.

From there, the silence went on for a minute, proving that there really was no resolution. They could sit here and chat it up for as long as they liked, but Blaise knew better than to think that Draco would let this go anytime soon.

"Jeeze Hermione," Ron started, moving them into the '_ridicule'_ portion with an easy tone change, "right with you into the grave is where that should have gone."

Hermione grunted something unintelligible into the pillow, but it was sarcastic enough to let them know that she was thinking the same thing.

"Ron," Harry warned and Ron shrugged.

"All I'm say'n is, if she was going to go ahead and leave her morality behind in the first place, she should have-" Ron started but was cut off by an elbow to the side from Harry.

"Hermione," Harry swooped in soothingly, crossing them into '_comfort'_ awkwardly, "I'm sure it'll work out if you just talk to him," was all the guy could come up with, but everyone in the room knew that was bull.

Hermione gave another grunt into her pillow to disagree and sway off the consoling. And she was right to do so. It would take a miracle to get Draco to even speak to her right now.

"Oh come on Harry," Ron said unapologetically, running head first into the, '_brutaly honest' _role and Blaise was in wonder at how fast this group got through these kind of talks. They must have had them a lot."Hermione fucked upbig," Ron said simply. "Stop acting like it's all right." He said calmly with a shrug of his shoulders, and because Harry knew it was true, he seemed all out of good cheer.

"As for me," Ron continued, "Malfoy's a pretty decent bloke, and yeah, he deserved to know the truth." He took a moment to deliberate over his next words. "I don't really think that you reading those letters is really the problem." He turned away from her as she lifted her face from the pillow and glanced at him over her shoulder.

"What do you mean?" she asked with a frown.

"Hermione, honestly, you and Malfoy just don't seem, you know… right for each other." He said slowly and Hermione completely sat up and faced him. "Look, I'm not saying that I don't like the guy, or that you're too good for him or anything like that. I'm just saying that you may both be good people who just aren't right for each other." He added quickly.

Harry looked from Ron to Hermione gauging the reaction those words were going to bring out of her and also silently making it known that he agreed.

Hermione looked off at the right wall of the room and Blaise couldn't tell what she was thinking. Apparently though, her two best friends could as Harry moved to sit beside her.

"Maybe," Hermione started solemnly, "Maybe you're right." She finished with a sigh.

_Whoa whoa whoa!_

Blaise was in trouble.

His mate was in love with this girl. Betrayal aside, he was pretty sure that Draco would get over this letter reading thing, it was just going to take a bit of time. If she broke up with Draco and Draco found out that Blaise was in the room when this decision had come up… well Draco wouldn't say anything to him about it, but he knew that Draco would be thinking that Blaise should have done something to prevent this.

At least that's what Blaise's conscience was thinking. Yeah, Draco probably wouldn't think anything of it, but Blaise would always remember how he didn't say a word when the idea of Hermione and Draco separating, came up.

Blaise gritted his teeth, then let out a sigh before clearing his throat to get their attention.

"I don't think that's right." He started with a shrug and both Harry and Ron pegged him with a look that seem to imply that he had no say in the matter. Hermione on the other hand, wanted to know more and she waited for him to continue.

"Well," he said trying to think quickly, "I know Draco and he'll get over this if you give him a moment. Then maybe you can make an effort to show him that you're sorry," He said and tried to believe his own words.

"That's not the point," Ron scoffed. "To be truthful here, he brings out the worst in Hermione."

Hermione looked at Ron with a frown as he continued. "He makes you do things that aren't you, that are… you know, _stupid_, I guess," he explained without sparing her feelings. "Ever since I found out about all this Malfoy stuff, you haven't sounded like yourself at all. I could hardly believe what Harry was telling me when he recapped me on this romance you had going with him." Ron's face was a deep shade of red and his disgust with Hermione's recent behavior was etched into every word.

Hermione sat flabbergasted and Harry stood from the bed taking up the space between the two.

"Calm down Ron," Harry spoke softly.

Ron looked Harry in the eyes in outrage before he addressed him in a cold tone.

"Then tell her Harry, tell her that I'm wrong. Tell her that she hasn't been acting like an idiot and tell her that what she's done these past few weeks is okay, that it's normal, because it not. Not for Hermione." When Harry stood there in silence and then slowly bowed his head Ron continued.

"Exactly," he went on, then he addressed Hermione, "It's like I said, it's not Malfoy, and as much as I wish it were or that I could find some excuse for you, I can't. I hate thinking that anything is _Hermione Granger's_ fault, but it really is. I can't even blame Blaise for having another blokes letters stashed in his room because that was his right and his prerogative. "

Then he looked at Blaise.

"And fine, you want to help your friend, that's alright with me," he shrugged, "And if Hermione wants to stay with him, then that's fine too, but I think that we all, including Malfoy, need to stop tiptoeing around the fact that Hermione needs to get some self control if she's gunna continue on with this relationship." He said and then moved past Blaise to the door.

**Well thats my more mature Ron. hope you dont think it's ooc.**

**Hope you liked it and i hope to get an update to you soon.**


	8. Weakness

what's that readers? It's been two months and you can never forgive me? Noooooooo! It's been forever and I had some problems. **PROBLEMS! **Things aren't back to normal, in fact they are a bit better than before, so I'm back with a vengeance. As for **Tiffany and Nate**, I think that I'm going to write a **one shot** for them to get it out of the way because this story is pretty cluttered on the perspectives point. i've been wanting ti wrtie them for a while ans know how i want it to go. But if you'd like it to be a part of this story, you can let me know and I'll slowly fit it in, or just give it its own chapter and do a double upload.

Other than that…

Nope there's nothing else to say but that im sorry for my absence. And thank you to all of you who are reading and favoriting my stoies. I get fave author and story alerts everyday and it awesome. An even bigger thanks to those who review.

* * *

Outerhouse Relations

Chapter 8

It didn't take long for Draco to realize he was lost. He'd stormed off without thinking and for gods sakes, he was wandless at night in a foreign setting. He huffed a sardonic chuckle at his own stupidity, then sighed seriously. It wasn't often that he ever let safety sit on the backburner. Not many who participated in the war did, and he realized that this was the first time he'd ever been so angry that he couldn't think through it enough to remember to be paranoid.

Hermione was such a weakness…

If there was one thing he'd admit to have inherited from his father, it was that he hated weak people. He hated people who over-exaggerated how hard their life was. Or those who cried every time something went wrong and especially people who couldn't learn to power through their sorrows in silence. The people who were always asking for help because they let a few traumas rule their lives.

He'd had to be strong and not let his upbringing destroy him. Whereas plenty of the pure bloods he'd known had used their parents as an excuse for how unprepared they were for the world without 'mommy and daddy' after the war. Draco had realized that, though it was his father's fault that he'd grown up uncultured and unaware, there was no excuse for him not to learn how to function in society.

He'd gone into adulthood and not used his father as a crutch when so many other pure bloods had. He'd taken responsibility for himself and that's why, unlike many of the other death eaters children, he'd grown and still owned his families fortune, along with owning his own pride. Not the fake pride that had been given to all pure bloods from birth by association of lineage. No, real pride as his own person, who'd worked hard after the war to rebuild himself and hold on to what was left of his family, no matter how hard his mother made it sometimes.

Weak people were something he just didn't understand. There was never any reason to be weak or to just give up.

And yet, Hermione made him feel that way…

* * *

Spencer had had enough. All the noise and too heavily made up girls crowding him was starting to make him feel like he was drowning. His cheeks hurt from all the smiling and laughing he'd been doing, due to the not so discreet eye, that Tanner had been keeping on him all night. Finally though, it seemed that Tanner had let his guard down and was now focused on Jasmine, who was apparently offended with the lack of attention she'd been receiving over the last few hours or so.

Spencer could see his chance for freedom and scooted past three of the seven overly affectionate girls who had invited themselves to his once empty booth. The show was over ladies and he was getting out of this sardine can while he could. He followed the back wall, trying to avoid the 'scene kids' as he went, but it was impossible not to shoulder a few with the pace he was keeping. If he didn't escape soon, he'd be seen. As he slid across the black painted wall he finally came to a door.

_Exit, exit, exit._

He looked up and groaned in frustration as he read staff only on the sign. He'd been hoping for some fresh air, but figuring that beggars can't be choosers; he pushed the door open and ducked inside before he completely lost his chance.

The heavy door shut behind him with a bump and the noise pollution on the other side was cut in half. He was in a hallway with doors lined down it and a short ways away, it opened up into what looked like a storage space. He walked the short walk to the end of the corridor and surveyed the disarrayed drum kits and guitars.

He was sweeping the dust from one of the top hats in the corner when he heard the door from the venue open up and the music amplified for just a moment before being shut out again. He waited for one of the security guards to round the corner and kick him out but instead came face to face with Tanners frown.

Spencer tried not to let the annoyance show on his face and was pretty sure that he'd effectively failed that task.

"Espionage isn't really your thing," Tanner said, and although the statement was a joke, his voice was heavy and his face stern and Spencer couldn't help but be a little offended with his tone. After all, no one had told Tanner to come chase him down.

"Guess not," Spencer replied stiffly, trying not to let himself get too angry about all of this. Tanner was trying to help, he reminded himself, and then took a deep breath before continuing. "What's up?" he asked, although he was well aware of the answer.

"Isn't that my line?" Tanner sighed, "or is it more like, 'what's wrong?' and don't give me that 'it's nothing' crap either," He added sternly.

Spencer wasn't stupid and knew the look of someone who wasn't going to back down without answers. Someone who was worried about him and trying to be a friend. What Tanner was missing, was that Spencer had no friends. Not really anyway. The people around him knew little more than what he allowed them to know. He didn't keep people at a distance on purpose or because of some early trauma in life. He did it because he saw firsthand what happened to those who trusted themselves in the hands of 'friends.'

That being said, he also knew the importance of trusting someone every once in a while. He knew that he couldn't live in a shell for the rest of his life and he decided that if he was going to give up his friendship cherry to someone, why not Tanner? After all, he was the first person to ever notice the act that Spencer put on.

"Fine," Spencer began. He may as well come right out and say what was up because he knew how annoying it was to pull teeth, "I messed up," he said with a shrug and Tanners body relaxed seeing that the fight was over.

"How so?" he asked coming to stand next to Spencer and then taking a seat against an old bass drum. Spencer slid down beside him and sighed. Knowing that he should just say what was up and get it over with, wasn't helping him actually get the words out.

"I…shit," he took a deep breath and tried again, "I like Danielle," he finally managed and as it came out he felt better. Tanner looked up at him with a frown and Spencer was ready to hear about what a terrible thing that was.

"Makes sense," he said after a pause. "You know, I always thought that you liked her and the day that you came to our compartment on the way to camp, I thought that you were going to ask her out or something , but then she came back to me and told me what had happened and I really didn't know what to make of it…" He shrugged before he continued, "then I realized what you were trying to do after I found out about Damien." He stopped to think before he went on. "So why did you help him if you liked her?"

Spencer considered this. The why was simple, but saying it out loud was the challenge.

"It was the first time that Damien's ever really liked a girl. Or anyone for that matter," he started, and then couldn't get the rest of what he was feeling into words.

"So it was a 'bros before hoes' thing then," Tanner summed up and Spencer couldn't help but laugh. He was glad that there was no more explanation needed with this guy.

"Mostly," he laughed out.

"So how long have you fancied Danielle?" Tanner asked and Spencer racked his mind to remember how long it had been.

"Around the time that we became potions partners near the end of last year," he remembered.

Tanner whistled to show that that was quite a long time. "So what stopped you from asking her out earlier?"

Spencer didn't have to think too long to answer this one.

"Damien hated her and he was my mate," he stated matter a fact with a shrug. "It seemed like it would be too complicated, you know."

Tanner nodded, recalling how just a few weeks ago the thought of Damien and Danielle even being in the same room was a catastrophe waiting to happen.

"I guess Damien's lucky to have a friend like you." Tanner laughed.

"Lucky, am I?" Damien asked and the two boys shot up from their sitting positions like two criminals being caught in the act.

Spencer wondered why they hadn't heard him come in.

"What the fuck Nix?" He continued as he stepped into the small space from the hallway.

This was the part when Spencer would usually lighten the mood with a joke, but instead he stood there unable to speak. He knew Damien was probably thinking about how his best friend could like his girlfriend. He watched as Damien tried to simmer down and was shocked to see that his mate was learning some self control. And then to everyone's shock Damien uttered the most unexpected words.

"Why didn't you just tell me?" he seemed embarrassed with his own inquiry. "Is this what you do Nix? Sit around and treat me like a child. Why couldn't you just tell me the truth like you do with everyone else? Am I that terrible of a friend that you thought that if you told me you liked her, I wouldn't accept it?" He stopped to ponder for a moment before releasing a harsh, bitter laugh, "Suppose I wouldn't have, would I?" He shook his head with disappointment, "you're so concerned with being a good friend to me that it's like you neglect the fact that I'm a total ass to you." He ran a hand trough his hair meekly, "Shit…look at what I'm saying…just forget it. I'm out of here. I'm breaking up with her; you two would make a better match anyway."

This wasn't what Spencer wanted and as Damien turned and started to walk away, he knew he had to do something to fix this but his usual tactics were of no use to him. God he was panicking. He couldn't remember the last time he'd done this but he knew what happened when people panicked. They did really stupid things.

"Damien," he said and caught his friends arm. "I helped you get with Danielle because there's someone else I like more. I don't want to be with her," god help him, he couldn't stop himself and he did what he'd been dreaming of for years, he backed Damien to the wall and kissed him, hard.

He knew the bug eyed shock that Damien was probably sporting on his face but he closed his eyes and enjoyed the first and last time that he'd ever do this.

Damien lips parted from shock and Spencer took his chance to deepen the kiss. Then Damien regained coherent though and pushed Spencer away from him. He stood there in shock shaking his head like he couldn't believe that this was really happening.

"I'm sorry-" Spencer said and reached out to Damien and then without warning anger flared up in Damien and Spencer new that he'd never forget that look of disgust before Damien punched his lights out.

* * *

Draco had been wandering for some time when it started to snow and knew that he had to find some place to go. He thought of going back to the mannor, but quickly eighty-sixed that thought.

Draco didn't have many friends and it wasn't hard to imagine why. He just wasn't all that personable and all though he wasn't as bad as he had been as a young child, he still preferred to keep to himself in the hopes that those around him would do the same. He'd burned his bridges with good reason. All of those bridges led to trouble and he'd long since grown out of that. In truth, Blaise was his only real friend. It wasn't like he had a problem with that but when he couldn't go to Blaise, he had no backup. Well he did have just one backup and as much as he hated it, he'd just apperated to her house.

"Not again," Pansy murmured as she moved aside and let him in. "You do know that your buddy and myself are no longer acquaintances, right?" she asked annoyed and closed the door before continuing. "And as you and I had our little falling out long ago, I'm not quite sure that I'll put up with you today, now that I'm not doing Blaise any favors."

Draco ignored her and continued to follow his usual routine by lying across her sofa like he were a physic patient, here to see his shrink. He knew Pansy well enough to know that she wouldn't turn him away no matter what. Deep down, although they both could barely stand each other and only did so because of Blaise, she was happy that he could still come to her. Even after how he'd treated her during his darker times and how she'd taken her revenge by being the only female to have ever really hurt him, they'd come to a mutual civility. She sighed and took her seat across the coffee table from him, crossing her arms.

"Draco, are we really doing this again," she huffed. "What's the point if you're never going to tell me what's going on?"

He looked over at her taking note of how pale she looked, before he turned away from her stare. It was true. He may have let his weaknesses sometimes bring him to her doorstep, but he refused to be such a burden as to complain about his life to her. Instead he used this time to just settle himself, to come to terms with things. And as reluctant as he was to admit it, he was comforted by the fact that there was another body in the room with him. That he wasn't alone.

When he'd first started coming here after they were reunited by Blaise following the war and forced to hang out due to mutual friends and get togethers, she used to try and get him to open up. After the fifth time he'd stepped past her threshold, she stopped prying and let him have his peace, but she would still sit across from him for as long as it took for him to leave. Like she was waiting for the day that he would talk to her.

And what do you know?

"You're not the only one anymore," he spoke and the words were so low he doubted she'd heard them.

"What do you mean?" she whispered as if she were afraid that he would stop talking if she weren't careful.

"It wasn't unexpected when you…" he couldn't bring himself to say 'hurt me' out loud so skipped that emission, "but I never expected it from her and had my guard completely down," he stared blankly at the ceiling not wanting to see her face. He felt so betrayed right now and he hated that he was here letting someone know about it.

But it seemed that she'd caught up with what he was talking about as she spoke.

"Granger?" she asked softly, "what happened?"

He wasn't surprised that Blaise had told her about Hermione before they'd lost contact and was actually glad for the help. He wanted to talk to Pansy, and her knowing the beginning would help save him some time. As he started to tell her the story, he tried to remind himself that he was allowed a moment of weakness too, just like everyone else.

He also tried to block out the fact that he was trusting Pansy with another part of himself.

It was some time later when Draco had finished his story. He may have missed the little details, being that he wasn't much for talking, but she'd never interrupted him or asked him to go deeper not once. He knew that she'd been holding herself back because he'd witnessed firsthand, what kind of intricate stories that she and her friends told, and knew how much she hated when people 'skimped' on the specifics.

He smiled recalling her 'girl talk' and then realized that he really felt better. He looked over at her and she was smiling at him. She sat silently for a moment to make sure that he was done talking and then she stood up, walked around the coffee table and hugged him.

Draco was in a state of shock but couldn't deny that the comforting was appreciated. And since he was being such a pussy today, he also admitted to himself that he wished that it were Hermione here with him right now.

Just as he was about to return the embrace, Pansy roughly pushed away from him, bolted from the room, down the hall and Draco sat up as he heard her throw up in the bathroom. As the retching continued, he made his way down the hall after her, wondering what the heck she'd eaten. When he reached the bathroom door he watched as she sobbed, her face contorted with pain and she held her stomach before realizing that something was seriously wrong.

He fell to her and helped her sit up.

"What's wrong!" he yelled over her sobbing, "what's going on?" He could hear how frantic he sounded and calmed himself down. "Pansy, listen to me, tell me what's happening."

She looked up at him through her tears and sobbed out, "Please… owl my midwife…"

Draco sat stunned. "Midwife?" he asked stupidly.

"Yes, the address… is… on the desk …in the study," she breathed through her pain before she pushed him away and started a second round of retching with her face in the toilet bowl, and Draco snapped out of his shock.

He shot out of the bathroom, into the study, scribbled a letter, attached it with shaking hands to the owl near the window, sent the bird on its way and was back to Pansy within minutes.

She was done throwing up and was curled across the floor breathing hard and clutching her middle. He hoisted her into his arms and ran down the hall to her room placing her gently on the bed.

"I owled her," he started to say as he pushed her hair from her sweat soaked face, "how long will it take for her to-"

"Please don't tell Blaise… please…" was all she managed before passing out, and Draco watched with horror as blood began to soak her cover and spread outward from her body.

**Sorry for the wait. tell me if you hate me guys. And thanks again for those of you who were waiting for me to continue. i could use the feed back, because my best friend is mad at the turn my story it taking...lol let me know.  
**


	9. Realizations

**QUESTION!**

Should Draco tell Blaise about Pansy?

* * *

Outerhouse Relations

Chapter 9

Spencer woke up and everything was black but he could hear voices.

"Fight him?" he heard Danielle ask in shock.

"But why?" Jasmine added.

"The guy thought Spencer was coming on to his girlfriend or something," Tanner answered and Spencer realized that it was the cover story. Clever and believable and a few notches less embarrassing than the truth.

They hit a bump and Spencer realized that they were in Brad's van so he hadn't been out too long. He tried to open his eyes but they were swollen shut. He was probably better off. What good would it do him to be awake in such close proximity to Damien right now? How had this happened?

People at school often asked him why he was friends with Damien. Spencer remembered what things used to be like.

* * *

They'd shared everything, had been inseparable. He remembered when he and Damien were 8. They had decided that they wanted to have their birthday party on the same day. Even though their birthdays were months apart, their parents had humored them and set a date that was in-between.

They'd held the celebration at the Scotts' mansion and invited both families. When all the guests had arrived and the party had turned into an adult social event, as most pure-blood parties did, he and Damien had stowed away underneath one of the servers' trolleys.

Once in the kitchens, they snuck away to Gregory Scott's study where all of the gifts had been tucked away. If there was one thing that both children hated, it was waiting until the party was over and the guests had left to open presents. Especially when the adults liked to linger and chat until 9 o'clock at night. That was an eternity to a child.

They'd looked at the mountain of gifts and knew that they'd be in trouble later but couldn't resist. With a double party, it was double the gifts and they both had large families. They'd torn open every present regardless of whose name had been on it. What did it matter when they shared everything anyway?

After that, they were never allowed a double party again. Their parents had had a hard time sending out the thank you cards for those who had given gifts.

Things used to be like that all the time until the Dark Lord had returned.

Spencer remembered the day things had changed. It was the week after he and Damien had gotten their Hogwarts letters and the two had gone the same day to Ollivander's. The mayhem of trying wands together had been the last of their fun times.

Spencer and his parents had been standing in a field together when Gregory Scott had apparated and joined them.

"You're late Greg," Spencer's father complained. "Will Nellie be here soon with Damien?"

The silence was answer enough.

Mr. Scott spoke. "They're not coming," he said and the gut wrenching ache in the pit of 10 year old Spencer's stomach mirrored on Mr. Scott's face.

"If Damien's not going, then I don't want to either!" Spencer yelled at his father.

"It's not a choice Spence," his father calmly told him.

"It seems I'm the only one without a choice dad. I want to go to Hogwarts with Damien," he'd pleaded, and his parents both looked pained.

"We know," he said, "We know…"

Mr. Scott put a hand on his shoulder and gave it a small squeeze before kneeling down in the grass and touching his hand to an old encyclopedia volume. Spencer felt hot tears sting his eyes. Was that it? That was all they could offer him? And Damien… didn't their friendship mean anything to him?

"Come on honey," his mother said taking his hand. "It's time to go."

Fine then. He could leave Damien just as easily. He straightened his little frame and wiped away his tears. He pulled away from his mom, crouched beside Mr. Scott and laid his hand on the book. His father did the same beside him and smiled down at Spencer, probably thinking him a brave little boy, but in truth he was just being a stubborn, hurt brat. The port key took them a minute later and they landed in America.

* * *

Spencer returned to the present when he heard Danielle call out to Damien.

"What?" he answered her in a small quiet voice, and Spencer didn't want to imagine what was going on in his friend's mind. No, scratch that. Ex-friend's mind.

"Are you okay?" she asked and Damien's voice was strangled when he replied with a, "Yes."

Of course Danielle couldn't accept that so she continued, unaware of how much pain she was making Spencer suffer through.

"You look pissed off," she stated the obvious, and he didn't answer back.

"I know that he's your best friend but you gotta let it go. Besides," she went on, "judging by your knuckles, you showed that guy." She sounded amused and Spencer heard Tanner cough/choke beside him, Spencer could just die.

"Yeah," he heard Brad speak from the driver's seat. "You're gonna wanna put a steak on that sucker when you get home," he laughed, "I'd hate to see that guy's mug."

From above Spencer, he heard Jasmine sigh and realized that his head was on her lap. She took his hand and gave it a little squeeze and Spencer knew that she knew he was awake and also that she was aware of the truth. He held in a moan of embarrassment, and decided to leave this moment behind. He fell back into his memories.

* * *

It was a year later when he'd seen Damien again and 10 years worth of time had been shaved off of Damien's life. Losing your mother could do that. It was the first day of second year and Spencer was on the Hogwarts Express for the first time. After a bit of searching, he found Damien sitting alone in a booth but with how few students there were, it wasn't uncommon.

He had planned to walk in and hug his friend, tell him that it had been ages and pick things up as though they had never left off. But Damien was no longer the fun-loving child he had once been. Instead, Spencer had ended up sitting beside his friend and being a shoulder to cry on. Damien had cried until they reached Hogwarts and then had never cried again. Damien was gone and in his place was a cold-hearted little demon child who relished in others' pain. The statistic of a troubled kid. And that was when Spencer fell in love.

For a long time he didn't understand what was happening. In America, as puberty hit, he'd learned he wasn't gay, and that fact still held true. It was just Damien. He wanted him to be happy, to stop hurting others, to open up, to be who he had been before. His best friend.

So when Damien had taken an interest in the one girl that Spencer liked. It made him laugh to know that they still had things in common. And of course the first mutual interest they'd share since puberty would be a girl. It wasn't hard for him to decide who should be with her.

Spencer was dragged back to the present by arms pulling him from the van. He let his body continue to stay dead weight. With luck he could deal with all of this tomorrow.

"Here," he heard Damien say, "put him on my back." And he was heaved by hands and moved toward the house. Damien didn't sound any less angry than he had been minutes earlier.

And Spencer hated himself for enjoying this.

* * *

Hermione had always been better than other people at a lot of things and knowing how to hate herself was at the top of her list. For someone who was so good at everything, self loathing shouldn't have been as easy to her as it was. Still, she excelled at making herself regret. No one could ever hurt Hermione as much as she could hurt herself.

She was sitting on the couch in Harry's living room, making herself feel worse, when Draco entered through the front door. Closing the door behind himself, he put his back to it and stared out in front of himself not noticing Hermione's presence. It was well after two in the morning and Hermione had been sitting there awaiting his return, assuming he'd return at all.

Ron was asleep in Blaise's room and she had told Harry to keep his own bed for the night so that she and Draco could occupy the couch, which she had transfigured into a bed. She was prepared to give him the apology that he deserved, the kind of apology that she knew he'd except and not the spoken one that she knew would mean nothing to him. But now seeing him stand there as though he'd been to hell and back in one night, she couldn't see herself doing anything to take away whatever he'd gone through tonight.

"Are you okay," she stupidly asked, getting up from the couch (bed) and alerting him to her presence.

He seemed shocked to see her standing there at first, completely caught off guard as he was. He just stood staring at her and then he seemed to fall back to reality and realize who she was. He turned away from her, looking down at his bag that still sat beside the front door and Hermione feared he'd take his things and leave. Instead he bent down, pulled some things from his bag and left the room shutting the bathroom door behind himself.

Hermione slowly sat herself back down on the couch and sighed. "That hurt," she huffed. Should she just give up?

* * *

Draco stood under the spray of the shower and felt like a total jerk. He knew that Hermione was going to try and apologize to him and he wasn't in the mood to deal with that. His mind was too busy with Pansy's request. Could he really not tell Blaise about all this?

It was strange how watching someone else's predicament could really put your own petty problems into perspective. Was he a horrible person to think that his situation was still important and that no matter how much he wanted to just forgive her, it didn't make it any easier even after realizing that there are worse things that could happen?

Draco wasn't often conflicted about things. He knew what he wanted and usually knew how to get it. He had one obvious answer in front of him. He needed to forgive Hermione. But what about his other choice. Pansy's mid-wife had explained that the pregnancy probably wouldn't last, and in that case, why tell Blaise about something that wasn't even for sure. He would just worry.

But then, why should Pansy be alone in this? Especially after she'd sat through her own sadness to listen to his problems. Even though they weren't technically even friends, and his stupid story was probably shallow in comparison to her own dilemma.

He wanted to just not have to think about it. Really quite selfish of him, but what else could he do right now? Go into Blaise's room and have him rushing over to Pansy's place right now? Would Pansy ultimately thank him for it, or despise him? He stuck his head under the water and decided to get back to it after he'd gotten some sleep. But tonight, he had to at least deal with Hermione. He hated that they were going to have to talk about it.

He was going over the imaginary conversation in his head when the door gently shut and he looked up to see Hermione, pink in the face as she averted her gaze from his body. Without a word, she began to undress.

Draco thought of asking her what she was doing, but was afraid that any interference may cause her to stop and she had just finished with the bra and had her thumbs beneath the side of her panty waistband. When she looked up he realized that he was staring, and that he was extremely erect. She looked like she may stop, but then, while staring him in the eyes, she slid her underwear down her thighs to her ankles.

Draco loved the way her breasts looked when she was bent at the waist and loved even more the way her hair half concealed her red face, falling to her waist, but what was most lovely was how her eyes never left his, watching as he admired her body. When her panties were around her ankles, she slowly stood, still watching him watch her, then stepped out of her underwear, making her way toward him.

In that moment something about her had changed. She smiled at his expression as she joined him in the shower wrapping her arms around his neck. Draco was shocked but did what came naturally and began snogging her furiously. Why question a good thing? Besides, he'd already decided to forgive her and she was making it quite a bit easier than it had been a few minutes previous.

She'd finally decided to apologize properly and he wasn't going to turn her away.

He let his hands trail down her body to her beautifully rounded ass and used it to lift her up, her legs wrapping around his waist. He put her back to the wall and she squeaked from the cold of the tile connecting with her skin then let out a sexy chuckle before putting her lips back to his and he could feel her smile.

God, she was so fucking hot right now. Her inhibitions were nowhere to be seen. He pushed himself against her and she let out a husky laugh that took him over the edge. He positioned himself at her entrance and was about to penetrate when-

"We can't," Hermione whispered breathlessly. Again with all this 'it's Harry's place' nonsense?

"Then why did you come in here?" He asked with a smile, unable to be upset with what he now knew to expect from her.

"You asked for this type of apology, not sex," she laughed, struggling to breathe out while he sucked her neck.

"What did I ask for if not sex?" He questioned, licking her ear.

"You asked to be shown affection," she elaborated, before letting out a small moan then lightly tapped his shoulder twice signaling for him to put her down.

He couldn't argue that that wasn't what he had specified.

"True," he said as he set her down and then pulled away from her and began lathering his loofah. He could hear her heavy breathing behind him.

"So?" She asked. "Am I forgiven?"

He smiled, turning back to her and slowly running his loofah over her body.

"I'm going to have to say no," he said, and Hermione looked appalled.

"Why not?" She sounded like a petulant kid trying to get her way.

"Well," he started and she seemed to realize what his hands were doing and became a bit distracted, "for any normal offense, it would be enough." He sighed, "but betraying my confidence and trust? I don't know, I think that calls for a bit of makeup sex, don't you?" He smirked at her reddening face.

"But Harry-" she started, watching him thoroughly clean her breasts.

"I see your dilemma," he cut in and then turned away and started to scrub himself. She stood silently behind him. He half turned to her, loofah in hand. "Mind getting my back?"

She took the loofah and slowly stroked his back. He was probably just torturing himself again. He should get her out of here.

"That's good thanks," he said turning around to face her again. Just the look on her face spoke volumes about how much she wanted him. He smirked and she did that lip biting thing that she always did.

He moved her so that she was in front of him, standing beneath the spray. With her back to him and his erection pressed against her butt.

"You should rinse off and get to bed," he said running his hands over her breasts, down her stomach and stopping just short of where he knew she wanted him to be.

"Draco?" She addressed him.

"Yes?" He smiled.

"No sex."

He sighed.

" But," she continued, "can we do other things?" She asked, he knew she was thinking of the first time he'd touched her, back at the camp.

He hugged one arm around her waist, holding her close, her arms trapped at her sides. His other hand traveled down between her legs and he pushed one finger into her. The sound she let out made it hard to do what he had to do next. He pulled his hand away and gave a small laugh.

"Why should I reward you for bad behavior?" He asked and she let out an exasperated sigh at his teasing.

"So only _sex_ will win your trust back, huh?" She asked and he could hear the smile on her lips.

"Afraid so…" He said.

"Okay" she conceded turning to him.

"Okay?" He asked smiling at her, unable to believe she was giving in.

"Yeah, I understand that that's what it'll take." She put her hands against his chest, pushed him against the back wall of the shower. "So I guess I'll have to apologize," she said and he put his hands on her hips.

She placed her hands on top of his and then kissed him before removing his hands and stepping out of the shower. "Apologize later… when we're not at Harry's," she smiled at his appall.

"Are you serious?" He asked as she dried herself with his towel.

"_Afraid so_," she mimicked sarcastically. "See you in bed," she waved and they smiled at each other before she left, with her clothes in hand.

Was he creating a monster? He let out a chuckle. She knew she was forgiven the moment she shed her clothes, damn it. He was going to have to do something about this erection. But then he had a better idea.

He was sure that he could get her to have sex with him at Potter's. Sure, some would say it was totally disrespectful of him to try, but many may say he deserved it. A night of sex was just what he needed to distract from the real choice he was facing. At least for the night.

* * *

It was around three in the morning according to the bright red numbers glowing in the darkness on Tanners side table, and Damien couldn't sleep. Not for the reason that Danielle had snuggled close to him in the night, as it should have been, but because he didn't know what to do about Spencer. He'd known the guy since they were born, how could he have missed something so crucial.

When Damien had complained that he was a bad friend earlier, who didn't pay much attention to Spencer, he hadn't realized the extent to which he was oblivious.

Damien hadn't punched Spencer for the kiss…well maybe that was part of it, but it had been more about the shock of being lied to all this time. How could they have known each other for so long and Spencer hadn't bothered to tell him. Not about the Danielle thing… well maybe that too, but the more important one.

Why the hell hadn't Spencer ever told him he was gay…or bi…or whatever he was? Was that why he'd never had a girlfriend? Because he was into guys and didn't want Damien to know? That didn't make any sense.

Damien wouldn't have cared if Spencer was gay and Spencer knew that. To each his own. And Spencer knew that Damien had gay friends in Slytherin. Michael and David were two of the coolest guys he knew and they were as flamboyant as two pure blood Slytherin boys, hiding their sexual orientation from their strict parents, could be. They walked around the school holding hands and had made passes at Damien jokingly. Damien secretly thought it was funny but had to keep up with his uncaring façade and couldn't openly laugh about it, but the one person who knew that Damien loved it was Spencer.

Spencer had even joked about Damien giving David eyes on more than one occasion and Damien had chuckled every time.

Damien understood that it wasn't like Spencer could have just walked up to him and confessed such a thing, but he wished that Spencer had. Now they were stuck in this awkward mess. The best thing for him to do now was probably just to go home. Too bad he couldn't apparate yet, so he was going to have to owl his father to come and get him. That may take a few days, and besides, he knew it was messed up to just ditch everyone.

From the other side of the room he heard movement and saw Spencer get up from his bundle of blankets in the closet and tiptoe to the restroom. Damien supposed he could start being a better friend right now, by talking this out instead of running. Everyone knew that he wasn't very good with words, but the least he could do was try.

"Fuck, this is awkward," he murmured as he gently separated himself from Danielle and headed toward the bathroom.

* * *

Hermione waited for Draco on her transfigured makeshift sofa bed. She'd been nervous at first, when she'd started undressing in front of Draco, but when she'd made eye contact with him, her nerves had calmed and what she thought was instinct seemed to take over. As she'd held his gaze, a sort of power she possessed had made itself known to her.

The power she apparently had over him.

This wasn't the kind of disciplinary mother, scolding her child or older sister with annoying little brothers kind of power she held over both Ron and Harry. This was different. As she'd stripped and had his devout attention, it was like he was her puppet.

She laughed aloud.

Was this that magical ability the beautiful women had called seduction? Or perhaps even sex appeal? It was as if she could have asked him to get on his knees and beg for it, and he'd have obliged. Something about that had given her the confidence to tease him back in the end.

How could she have gone all her life without knowing how good it felt to have a man's eyes trail her every move that way? Now she could understand how some girls, such as Lavender Brown, could become obsessed with the feeling. Addicted to a small bit of magic ability, that had nothing to do with being a witch. Hermione herself, wanted more.

Only now did she realize what a wasted opportunity her and Draco's first time had been. There were so many things that she could have done if she hadn't been such a nervous wreck. Oh, what she wouldn't give to have a second chance like that now. Unfortunately, she knew that there was no way in hell that Draco would never let himself be tied down again.

But now that she thought about it, she didn't need the ropes to feel like she had control anymore. She could give him the feelings that he'd been giving to her, do what he was always doing to her. No magic, no words, no nothing. Just her presence, her eyes on him and it would be enough.

He'd finally shown her a weakness and she wondered how big of a weakness it was. Could she possibly seduce him into breaking his amazing restraint? And did she have the restraint not to be pulled in by his own seduction? He always seemed to know how enticed she was my him, but tonight she'd learned that things were the same on his part, and knowing that made it easier to resist him somehow.

She wasn't sure how that made sense, but it just did. She felt like she could manage not to give into him so easily because she now knew that if he really wanted it, he'd stop playing hard to get and come to her. Just like she'd done that day back at Hogwarts. The day before her and Draco's first time.

She remembered the day before the last day of school, when Draco had gone out of his way to be around every corner she'd turned. Even knowing that she was having a hard time not jumping him when he came anywhere near.

Then it slapped Hermione on the face.

He'd been seducing her!

She'd kept wondering why on earth he kept showing up, getting into the heat of the moment with her and then pulling away at the last moment. That bastard, counting on her to give in… and she had. That night, she'd been so sexually frustrated, so riled up that she couldn't sleep and she'd practically begged for it.

She gasped in shock, remembering how she'd stopped him that night and everything suddenly came together.

No wonder he'd been so angry. He'd gone the whole day, teasing not only her, but himself, in the hopes that he wouldn't ruin the image of restraint that she thought he had. Instead he tricked her into initiating sex with him. She suddenly felt horrible for him. He'd stupidly not admitted to her how badly he wanted her and she'd stopped him, having been under the impression that he wouldn't mind because it seemed like she was the one who'd wanted it so badly, and that he was just going along with it.

Wow, looking back, she must have seemed like such a bitch.

But then with a burst of anger, she looked at the whole picture.

Why hadn't he just told her that he wanted to have sex, instead of always being so cryptic, sneaky and round about? He'd tricked her and more than being angry with the fact that he'd planed to con her into sex, she was just mad about being swindled at all. He'd called on her total weakness for him and used it to conceive a dastardly plan, all to protect his stupid persona.

What a deceitful jerk…

Not that she didn't already know that about him, but still, to what extent? The whole Rebecca thing had been a stupid misunderstanding, but this was so underhandedly intentional she could hardly believe it.

But that was just him wasn't it?

And in the long run, she could see herself falling in love with someone who could out smart her like that. Without someone to challenge her thinking, how could she ever continue to grow and understand things? But he was going to have trouble beating her on the uptake from now on.

Ron had been right about her. For the last two weeks, she'd been acting like an idiot. Draco had caught her off guard and she'd been frazzled by his behavior and stupidly worrying about whether or not he liked her, while trying to figure out if she liked him in return. The truth was that after the war, she hadn't bothered to look at such trivial things. She hadn't noticed the differences in men and women. They were all just people to her. People she worked with, people walking by and people talking to her. She didn't bother to examine how she felt sexually about the individuals in a group. Not even the co-workers who'd asked her out. It was about personality with her. She'd say yes, and maybe have a good time talking, but she saw who they were as a person, not separated by sex. The man across from her could have been a women for all she cared.

Thinking back, it seemed like she was asexual.

So yeah, she had been quite idiotic in the face of something so out of her comfort zone. Discerning that Draco was a _man_, and not just another person had been alarming, but there's a first time for everything.

Now though, she was herself again. Aware of her surrounding and she wouldn't let her own stupidity control her anymore. She was also determined to get him to stop playing dirty all the time and just tell her how he was feeling.

She laughed quietly to herself.

Epiphanies made her giddy. She loved growing experiences and she wanted to grow… no, needed to grow, in order to understand and keep Draco around. As much as him being around made her unable to function, it also taught her new things to be sure of about herself.

They could grow together, she thought as she heard the bathroom door open.

After all, no matter what happens between them in the future, life was a learning experience and she planned to take all that Draco could give her.

* * *

Spencer pissed, washed his hands and stepped out of the bathroom, coming face to face with Damien.

They stood looking at each other for a second before Spencer turned away.

"Bathroom's yours," he said and made to walk around the other boy, but was stopped as Damien stood in front of him.

"Didn't come to use the loo," he said quietly and Spencer's heart plummeted into his stomach. Was Damien really about to attempt to talk to him? Had hell frozen over? This was the kind of thing that Damien usually ran away from and hid out until it was forgotten.

"I," Damien started and Spencer knew that it was an effort on Damien's part because he hated awkward situations. "I um… I'm sorry. You know, about your face," he said bowing his head, his face going red.

"Sorry?" Spencer asked in shock. "If anyone should be-"

"For you face," Damien cut in quickly as though trying not to bring up the undeniable point of this conversation. Spencer couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah, it's okay…" Spencer shrugged and it was okay. Danielle had been given her wand and was able to heal it so that there were no traces. "Sorry about your hand," he added because things had gotten quiet.

" Yes, well…" Damien said straightening up and clearing his throat, "No hard feelings then?" he asked and strangely held out his hand. Spencer looked down at it and then could help but burst out in laughter. Damien looked at him like he were a mad man and Spencer covered his mouth, regaining his composure. All this time, he'd been worried out of his mind and this was it?

He took Damien's hand and gave it a firm shake. "None whatsoever," he said and then lingered holding Damien's hand in his. He wanted to just accept this. Put it all behind him and they could continue their friendship that had been returning to its original state recently. But he couldn't just let it end like this, without knowing what Damien really thought of this whole debacle.

"So…" Spencer began, releasing Damien's hand, "you're really not going to ask?" he said and the other boy looked away.

"If you hadn't told me before," Damien began slowly, "Then I'll except that you didn't want me to know," he said with a shrug.

"What are you really thinking?" Spencer asked, aware that Damien was trying to choose his words wisely as not to hurt Spencer's feelings.

"I'm…" Damien mumbled running a hand through his hair, "I'm fucking pissed," he said and although Spencer expected no less, it still hurt to hear it. "Not about you being gay or anything but-"

"I'm not gay," Spencer corrected.

"Bi… Whatever," Damien said shaking his head.

"No, I'm not bi either, well…I guess I kinda am," Spencer contemplated his own confusion, "I mean… you're the only one that I've ever…" _liked? Loved?_ There was an awkward silence before Damien saved them both.

"Either way," he started again, "it doesn't matter. The point is," Damien actually looked up at him then, "you can, you know… tell me anything. And stuff," he tried, "I mean, you could have told me earlier. About Danielle, and about…" he waved his hand between them, "about _this_." He covered his face with his hand. "Fuck… you know what I'm saying. I'm your best friend and all that rubbish, so just talk to me when you need to!" he blurted and then took a deep breath dropping his hand from his face. "I can't guarantee that I'll have anything worthwhile to say," he went on, "but I can at least listen…"

Spencer stood shocked, not knowing what to say. Damien was really trying.

"Thanks," Spencer said sincerely, and he really was thankful. Damien seemed to have had enough of being out of his comfort zone.

"I'm gunna take a piss after all," he blurted out in a hurry. "Night," he said before hurrying past to the bathroom.

Spencer smiled. All's well that ends well.

**Don't forget to answer the question. R&R**


	10. Closer

If you haven't already, go read my CATastrophe "one-shot" and then check out the art for it on deviantart(DOT)com

After reading this chapter, check out the art for it also on deviantart at lifesadarkart(DOT)deviantart(DOT)com

Other than that, be sure to R&R and I'm hoping to get this finished by the end of December so bear with me

* * *

Outerhouse Relations

Chapter 10

Draco was helping Hermione fold up their blankets as he remembered last night after his shower. He had spent the night being rejected by Hermione as she teased him mercilessly. It seemed that she'd found out how fun it was and it was going to become a new habit if hers. He didn't really mind. Actually he had enjoyed it.

No more of her coyness, and she was far less embarrassed about admitting how she felt about him and the things he did to her. He smiled recalling the wonderfully dirty things she'd said to him last night, and loved the memory of her face going red as she uttered things that she'd previously thought crass, in an attempt to give him some enjoyment.

And enjoy he had.

Even the fact that he'd gone to sleep feeling sore in the balls area wasn't that bad when he thought of all the possibilities Hermione's new boldness opened up. When next he managed to get her in a place where she was willing to let him have her, things were bound to be interesting.

He'd come to terms with the fact that, try as he might, she probably wasn't going to do any funny business at Potter's. Still, all in all, forgiving her for reading those letter's had been a breeze.

Then with an overwhelming sadness, he recalled Blaise.

What was he going to do? Whatever it was, he couldn't let this sit for much longer. Either he was going to tell him or not, and he needed to come to terms with a decision today.

* * *

Hermione had just finished transfiguring the couch to its original state as she smiled about her and Draco's escapades the night before. She was about to go for another round of flirting now that the living room was back in place but when she looked over to Draco, she took pause. She could see that something was a little off with him. He kind of seemed to be lost. Definitely not paying much attention to his surroundings.

She tossed a pillow at his head and it smacked with full force, tipping him slightly before he even realized what was going on. Then he looked at her like he'd just woke up from a day dream and wasn't sure he was in reality.

"Draco…" she said hesitantly when he just stood staring at her, "you're freaking me out," she admitted and he sighed.

"Sorry," he started and Hermione put a hand on his forehead.

"You must be sick," she said, "apologizing to me for pelting you with a pillow."

He rolled his eyes then and smiled releasing a laugh. "I'm being obvious aren't I?"

"Just a bit, yes," she said on a sigh of relief to see him smile. "What's wrong?" she asked, he didn't even sound like himself and as his features became serious, he looked... vulnerable.

Draco sat on the couch and ran a hand through his hair. He didn't really like talking to people about intimate things, and enjoyed even less, spreading others' business. But he knew that if anyone could help him with this problem, it was Hermione. So he looked back and forth to make sure that no one was up yet and began the tale of last night's discoveries.

* * *

Hermione sat quietly during his short retelling and he felt awkward hearing his voice recap Pansy's life. He felt like one of the gossips in the upper pure blood class and so he tried to keep the details at a minimum.

When he was done, Hermione just sat there.

"Not much help are you?" he joked because he didn't like the atmosphere. She glared at him for a second before becoming serious.

"So what are you going to do?" she asked.

"This isn't really my jurisdiction," Draco shrugged and then giving Hermione a pointed look, asked, "So what should I do?" Hermione frowned, looking puzzled.

"Me?" she asked in shock.

"You're the expert on morality right?" He smiled and Hermione rolled her eyes.

"I don't know Draco," she confessed and he sighed.

"Your input is for once missed," he said and she smacked his arm.

"The only thing I can say is that, in honesty, you should try and talk to Pansy. She should be the one to tell him." She let out a defeated sigh, "Blaise has a right to know, but I don't think that you should be the one to say anything." She shook her head. "When you can, just talk to Pansy," she concluded.

"Talk to who?" Blaise's voice inquired from behind them and they both froze in place, staring at each other in shock.

"Ginny of course," Ron said and the two men laughed.

Both Draco and Hermione let out shaky breathes and shared a relieved laugh as Blaise continued, "Not to be rude, but your little sis creeps me out," he chuckled, "I'd love to help you out mate but Ginny'd tear me a new one for asking her to give you extra days off."

Ron grunted and Blaise entered the living room taking a seat on the couch between Draco and Hermione.

"Morning," Blaise greeted, "and what's so hush hush over here?" he said, wrapping an arm around both of their necks. When they continued to keep uncharacteristically quiet, he frowned. "You guys really telling secrets, what's up?"

Hermione was waiting for Draco to come in with his usual effortless cover ups, but when she looked at him, his lips were sealed and he was looking at her like he was waiting for the same thing. She wasn't the flawless liar here, that was his job. He was obviously taking the day off so she cleared her throat and let out a low chuckle and did something she would never have done before last night.

"He doesn't want you to hear the sweet nothings," she joked in a sultry whisper and couldn't believe how easily that'd come out.

The two of them stared at her in shock and Hermione could feel the embarrassment rising to her cheeks, but then Draco's eyes fixed on hers and he smirked. Her confidence shot up a few notches.

"Sorry," she continued, smirking back at him, "didn't mean to let on what a sensitive guy you are," she added sarcastically. Her head was bowed and she watched the two of them through her lashes.

"Whoa!" Blaise said, standing from the couch. "I don't know if it's safe for me to be in between all of this." he laughed and then put a hand on Draco's shoulder, "I don't know what happened last night, but I wholly approve of this new Hermione. Make sure she keeps that kind of behavior under wraps around me or I'll have to teach her what that kind of talk does to a man. If you haven't already," he laughed and Draco practically growled.

"Blaise-," he started warningly, but was cut short when Ron sat on one of the sofa arms with a loud 'good morning,' and Hermione was glad for that. She had a feeling that if Blaise kept this up, Draco would do just about anything to wipe that smile off of his face, and she knew what would be at the top of that list.

But then as if Ron hadn't said anything, Blaise continued, having seen his opening and not wanting to miss a chance.

"Careful mate, or you might let on how much I'm getting to you. But I do agree…," he went on, looking down at Hermione with half lidded eyes. "I'd be hard pressed not to be over protective of this little vixen in hiding as well."

Hermione quickly placed a hand on Draco's thigh to remind him to stay calm and he glared at Blaise.

"Keep your eyes to yourself," Draco said with a sort of calm fury burning in the words, before standing from the couch.

Hermione watched in shock. She knew that Draco knew that Blaise was just messing with him, so why was he letting it get to him this time? Then she wondered if it was her new seduction's handy work at fault here and smiled.

Whoa! This was not the time to be patting herself on the back, but it was hard not to be happy when _the _Draco Malfoy was acting irrationally jealous over her. _Okay_. She shook her head coming back down to earth.

"Stop it," she said, standing between them.

"Mmm…" Blaise hummed leaning down to her ear, "Not to close or I'll jump you in front of your boyfriend," Blaise teased and Hermione's face went the color of a cherry.

Draco lunged and Blaise ran as fast as he could hopping over the couch as Draco followed and then locked himself in his own room before Draco could catch him.

Ron began to laugh, clutching his stomach and struggling for breath as Draco reentered the living room with a scowl.

"I've," Ron began through his laughter, "I've never seen Malfoy look so human," he went on and Draco _'humphed' _obviously embarrassed by his lack of control, before flopping back down on the couch.

Hermione suddenly had an idea. She needed everyone to stay busy and occupied or Draco would end up spilling the beans before he could go and see Pansy.

As she walked away, he gave her a questioning look.

"I wanted to ask Harry something," she said, excusing herself from the room.

* * *

"Arcade?" Harry repeated skeptically, "sure there's one a little ways away from here," he explained, and then asked "arcade?" as though she were mistaken.

"Yes Harry, an arcade," she confirmed. She understood that it was hard to believe what she'd just recapped to him about her and Draco's time at the camp.

"I just can't imagine it…" Harry went on, looking to the sky, seeing his own thought bubble full of images.

"I know," Hermione laughed, "but it's true. He's like a kid in a candy store."

Harry shrugged with a laugh, "I'll believe it, when I see it," he said. "When do you want to go?" he added.

"Soon," she answered a little too quickly and Harry sent her a questioning look. She shrugged turning away from his raised eyebrow. "Anyway," she went on, "let's be out of here by noon," she finalized and made for the door.

"Hermione…," Harry said and she stopped and turned to him innocently.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Anything you want to tell me?" he asked looking serious.

God, there was no hiding things from Harry.

"No," she answered, and it was true she didn't _want_ to tell him anything, although now that she thought about it, having a partner might help keep Draco and Blaise away from each other, easier. And Harry was an experienced mediator of sorts. But above all of that, he was trustworthy.

"Actually…" she said and then made sure the door was closed and locked.

* * *

Ron took a seat on the couch across from Draco and smiled. It was so strange to think that only five years ago, this scene would have been unthinkable. And yet, here they were.

"Ha ha," Draco said dryly and Ron noticed that he'd been staring at Draco like he were a joke.

"Oh, sorry," Ron said with a chuckle, "I was just thinking of how bizarre this whole thing is."

Draco only shrugged in response and Ron sat back taking in the other man.

"So…" Ron started and saw Draco frown as though dreading what was coming, "why Hermione?" Ron asked. He was genuinely curious. Not that Hermione wasn't attractive, or that her personality wasn't amazing, he was just asking as a man who had grown apart from those feelings.

Draco sighed and then looked across the room.

"I don't think I'm going to embarrass myself by answering something like that," he answered thoughtfully with a smile and Ron laughed.

"Fair enough," he said. "Besides," Ron continued with a smirk, "you've embarrassed yourself enough for one day haven't you?" he joked and could see Draco's face redden as he turned away.

"Probably," he muttered, then smirked, looking up at Ron for the first time. "You can start keeping count because I have a feeling it won't be the last time while I'm here," he chuckled and Ron laughed. It really was strange to be sitting here, with what was once an enemy, and acting like friends.

In truth, Ron had been well prepared to hate Draco from the moment he found out he was in a relationship with Hermione. And then seeing Draco act like a person who laughed and joked and was vulnerable, just like everyone else, he'd changed his mind without meaning to. It all seemed so surreal that this guy had such an emotional range, unlike the kid Ron had grown up hating. Strange how much people could change.

"Then let's see…" Ron said, holding up his fingers and counting off on them, "I think you're at about four," he said, trying not to laugh at Draco's disgruntled expression. "Oh wait," he added thoughtfully, "Including letting us in on being tied up by Hermione, let's make that five." Ron laughed.

"You're aware that I wasn't being serious about that right?" Draco sighed, shooting Ron a glare that held no malice.

"Of course," Ron answered, and then making up his mind about Draco for good, he took a leap, "but what kind of friend would I be if I didn't call you out on every embarrassing moment?" he said and watched as Draco took that in. There was a short silence before he seemed to finally come to terms with what was being offered and smiled.

"I see," he said, obviously covering up his surprise, "Where did you learn that from, Blaise?" Draco asked sarcastically.

"Who else?" he confirmed and they shared a laugh before silence fell again. "Anyway," Ron continued, "I'm gonna see if Blaise is done hiding out," he said standing from the couch.

"Let him stay hidden," Draco sighed as Ron stretched.

"Actually, that sounds like a good idea," he said sitting back down.

"You guys are pretty messed up," Blaise said from behind them, coming around the corner and into the living room. "What good is life, when you're living without me?" he said sounding hurt, placing a hand over his heart.

Obviously Draco wasn't ready to have Blaise around and there was a moment where Ron was sure that Draco would get up and deck Blaise, so he took this opportunity to help his new friend out.

"Hey Blaise," he said getting up and grabbing Blaise's arm, "let's commandeer some clothes from Harry," he said dragging him away.

* * *

Harry jumped as banging on his door sounded and he and Hermione shared a knowing nod before they relaxed.

"Open up mate!" Blaise called, "Ron and I are raiding your closet for the good stuff," he said and they could hear Ron laughing in the background.

Harry sighed and opened the door letting the two men rummage through his things. He had barely just finished listening to Hermione's request and hadn't been given a moment to settle all this new info in his mind. Pansy and Blaise? Man, this was crazy. Hermione put her hand on his shoulder and before leaving the room, she gave him a look to ensure he knew what he was doing today. He nodded and without a word she was gone.

Keeping Blaise and Draco away from each other wouldn't be that hard would it?

"Hey Harry," Blaise said as he wrapped Harry's old Gryffindor scarf around his neck, "What do you think? I make this look good right?" he asked with a smirk and Harry laughed.

"It's like an oxymoron," Harry replied with a sigh and Ron nodded in agreement as he pulled one of Harry's shirts from a hanger.

"That's what makes it look so hot on me," he shrugged and Harry put his palm to his face.

"Both of you need get more muggle clothes and stop stretching out all my shirts every time we go out," Harry complained. He was far shorter than Ron and not nearly as buff as Blaise and all his shirts always took a beating when they wore them.

"But it's so much easier this way," Ron said.

"Exactly," Blaise agreed and Harry sighed, giving up and going to start up his shower.

* * *

Before Hermione could cause any more trouble for Draco and herself, she made sure to tell him right away that she'd let Harry in on the secret. Draco didn't seem happy about it, but he wasn't angry either and he seemed to understand the need for him to know.

"So we go to the arcade today," Hermione went on, "and then we find a way for you to sneak off and apparate to Pansy's," she concluded.

"I see," he sighed, seeming unimpressed.

"What," she asked, "you have a better idea?"

He sighed again and then shrugged as Ron and Blaise emerged from Harry's room looking more muggle than Hermione could ever remember.

"Nice, right?" Ron asked, seeing her face.

"Yeah," she said in earnest with a smile. Ron was even matching. Then she frowned, "well," she smiled, "the scarf is totally out of place," she laughed and Blaise just smirked with a shrug as Ron gave him a soothing pat on the shoulder.

* * *

By the time Harry was out of the shower and ready to go, Ron was occupying Blaise with a game of chess and Hermione and Draco were talking about finding time to grade papers later.

They all loaded into Harry's car, where Blaise took the front seat and Hermione sat between Ron and Draco in the back. During the ride, Harry was helpful with throwing in topics of conversation and although Draco didn't talk much, Blaise was conversing to the fullest.

When finally they reached the arcade it seemed that Harry and Hermione weren't going to need to worry too much about them fighting. It was like all the flashing lights and noise had slipped them into an alternate dimension where bigger problems didn't exist.

Harry tried to hold back his laughter as the other three males looked, indeed, like 'kid's in a candy store'.

"See?" Hermione laughed to Harry over the noise.

"What…" Blaise tried to formulate words, "What is this?"

"I…," Ron started, "I don't know."

* * *

Draco was trying to hold back his surprise. He thought that he'd known what to expect, but this was totally different from the dinky wreck room at Terry's. This was beyond him and as he watched all the flashing lights and the kids running around, he desperately tried not to run wild with glee.

He heard Harry begin explaining what an arcade was to Blaise and Ron as Hermione came up and pulled him away from the others.

"I'm gonna teach Draco to shoot Zombies," she yelled to Harry and the others and Harry waved them good bye as the other two motioned for him to continue explaining.

Well," Hermione smiled up at him, "That was easier than I thought it would be," she said leading him to a back door and out into an ally where the noise from inside was just muffled.

"Ok," she went on, "you go to Pansy's and I'll stay hidden here."

Draco stood there unable to voice his opinion. How could he explain to her? Should he even try?

When she noticed that he looked confused, she put on her concerned face.

"What's wrong?" she asked and he had to tell her.

* * *

Hermione stood there as Draco struggled with something and she knew from all the hesitation that it was something he wasn't sure that he could say. She didn't want to rush him but at the same time, the suspense was killing her.

"What is it?" she asked softly and his cheeks turned a wonderful shade of pink.

"I," he started and then ran a hand through his hair in that nervous way he did all the time.

She bit her lip to keep from smiling. This wasn't a _'I'm hesitating because I'm serious'_ moment, but one of those _'I'm too embarrassed to say it moments,'_ that he had every once in a while and she tried not to ruin the moment, he'd get it out if she waited a little longer. She was glad to be able to tell the difference now.

"I, um…" he tried again and she bit her lip harder, "would you stop looking at me like that," he sighed and she couldn't help but smile.

"I'm sorry," she said with a giggle, "It's just…" she started, looking him in the eyes, "your making that face," she admitted and then covered her mouth with her hand to hide her grin.

"Yes, very funny," he said rolling his eyes as his face went a shade darker, "never mind."

Hermione immediately became serious, knowing she'd probably just blown her chance at finding out what was up.

"No, tell me," she pleaded, "I'm sorry. I really want to know. I won't laugh."

He waited a bit to see if she were calm and then he sighed mumbling something under his breath.

"What?" she asked.

He mumbled again and besides the word 'arcade,' it was inaudible.

"Just say it," she said and he put his hand over his face.

"I want to stay at the arcade for a bit," he said tuning his face away and Hermione couldn't help but smile.

"You want to…" she tried to hold back, "play some games?" she asked to get it straight.

"That's what I said," he growled looking offended and she burst out laughing.

"I'm," she tried, "I'm sorry," she watched as he stood in shock, "It's just so cute somehow," she said through giggles and then laughed out even harder at his expression to that.

"Cute?" he asked in disgust and then began walking away.

Hermione quickly caught onto his arm and ceased laughing.

"Okay, I'm sorry," she said rubbing away the tears in her eyes and he avoided looking at her. "What's wrong with you being cute anyway?" she asked and he hid his face behind his hand again before running it through his hair.

"To be honest," he started, still avoiding her eyes as he spoke, "there's nothing wrong with it. It's just… I don't know how to take that," he answered and God, he was adorable. She kept that to herself and pulled him back toward the building.

"Come on," she said, "we'll be here all night I'm sure. So a few games before you go won't hurt."

He gave an awkward smile.

"But," she went on, "Before you play anything else, you have to try one round of DDR," she said and he shrugged.

"Okay," he agreed, "what is it?"

"You'll see," she said and then led him back into the arcade.

Hermione could feel them becoming closer and she was glad to spend this time with him. They'd get back to the Pansy thing in an hour or so.


	11. Grapevine

Look forward to a **Pansy** and **Blaise ONESHOT **to really finish up their story**. **It should be posted up with the next chapter so don't forget to give it a read if you've been waiting for them to settle things.

Those of you who have asked or are wondering what this story is really about, I can tell you that it's not about anything more than Draco and Hermione getting to know each other better and expanding on my own writing skills when it comes to character development. I want them to be like real couples and really fall in love. The story will end with with at least 20 chapters and it all depend on how far I want to take it.

Just like in real life there are interesting things to get to know about people, but it takes patience to get there. Lucky for all of you, I don't have the kind of patience it takes to do that so It'll be a bit rushed.

Hope you stick around.

* * *

**Outerhouse Relations**

**Chapter 11  
**

Draco decided that he didn't like this game known as DDR, and it hadn't taken long to make up his mind. One embarrassing turn later and he'd gain the attention of all the surrounding patrons. From the looks of awe on their faces, it wasn't hard to guess that very few people ever played this game, and he could see why.

It wasn't very becoming to be stared at while you were swaying your hips and stumbling on your own feet. And no matter what Hermione said about having beginner's rhythm and that that crap, he was sure he looked like an idiot and she was consoling him to get him to keep going so she could quietly snicker behind him.

Luckily though, Harry and the others came up to them just as he was being forced into a third round and when Blaise started in on the teasing, Hermione dragged Draco away to play something else.

This time around she took him to play on something called ski ball, which from the amount of tickets that the contraption spit out, he was pretty good at.

Later, they ran into the others again and Harry did his best to pull Blaise toward another row of games and Hermione and Draco headed to the air hockey table.

The place where it all began…

He played valiantly and battled with all of his might. He even managed to keep his temper in check, but it was no use. Hermione was always a few points ahead of him every time. He gave up, backing down gracefully and they found another game to play involving those booths with the guns inside.

"Yes!" he yelled when he hit a bad guy in the head and then he tried not to look at Hermione who he could feel was watching him with a smile.

This place made him forget to look prim and he really did hate that he couldn't control himself… but it was also quite liberating at the same time to have Hermione by his side screaming her 'hell yeahs', hooting, chiding, and goading him on.

It was all really cheesey and he hated to admit it but...

He could stay like this forever.

* * *

Blaise was almost jealous of Hermione and Draco's little lovey dovey date thingy they had going on.

As he watched Ron pull up another doll from the thing called a claw machine, he was about tired of this sausage fest, and things really just weren't as fun when he wasn't flirting with someone. Especially when he could be flirting with some other bloke's girl.

"You're really good at this stuff Ron," Harry was saying and Ron put on a cocky grin, "too bad you don't have a girlfriend to give it to," Harry added and the smile was wiped from Ron's face in the blink of an eye.

"Why would I want to give this to a girlfriend?" Ron quickly covered, "it's a giant rat with yellow shoes, huge gloves and red bloomers on," he shrugged, 'I'm keeping this for myself."

Harry laughed and Ron tried not to look offended.

Blaise sighed, somehow this whole place had become a lot less appealing as had his companions.

"Hey," he said calling their attention, "I'm gunna go to the loo," he excused himself as he walked past them and around a corner to where the restroom signs were posted nearby.

What was he bitching about? If he wanted what Hermione and Draco had, he'd go and get it. He didn't need a girlfriend and in fact, he enjoyed all the floating around that he did.

Everyone knew that it was a lot less messy. He could take Draco for example on that one. They guy was dealing with all kinds of stupid shit in pursuit of one girl. A chit that was hardly even putting out as he understood it.

What would Blaise possibly want with something like that?

He stood in front of the mirror and sighed.

If he was better off, then why did Draco look so happy and he looked so freaking pathetic in comparison?

* * *

Ron had tried his damndest to not say anything, but he just had to.

He liked to think that he'd come a long way from being the stupid sidekick in the trio, but it was times like these that really made him question. He could tell that Harry and Hermione were up to something. All the cryptic looks and sly conversation changes, where the obvious signs of secrets being kept. Though he was always pretty slow on the up take during their school days, he wasn't so oblivious now, and he hated to think that they were leaving him out again.

Even though he knew that it was all in his head, Ron didn't want to be the last to know like he'd always been before. The last to get it.

Or worst yet, the 'sidekick' as it had been reported all those years ago in the Prophet, after the war.

Hermione was the 'brains,' Harry the 'hero' and Ron the sidekick...

But not anymore, and never again.

"Just tell me, Harry," Ron pleaded and Harry was at wits end.

"There's nothing to tell," he tried but it was deflected.

"I've been friends with you and Hermione too long to miss the hidden conversations," he complained and Harry sighed.

"Go ask Hermione. It's not my business to tell," Harry said feeling increasingly irritated.

"You know she's not going to tell me," he sighed.

"Then you don't need to know," Harry confirmed.

"Why are you guy's leaving me out?" Ron fumed.

"We're not," Harry consoled, "You're making this into something that it's not."

"Look Harry," Ron sighed, "I get it if you don't want to tell me, but it's not like you can't trust me. I won't say anything."

Harry ran a hand through his thick messy hair, before conceding.

"Look…"

* * *

Blaise stood clutching his chest as pain ran through it from the pounding of his heart. The ringing in his ears so loud now, that the noise of the arcade was lost to it. His breathing picked up, trying to keep pace with the throbbing of his heart and his head became light as dizziness forced him to steady himself with a hand to the wall.

He was pretty sure he was experiencing one of those moments where you're so shocked you faint.

And what do you know? That was his last thought before his eyes faded black and his head hit the floor with a loud thud.

* * *

For the first time since knowing Draco, -even as children-, Hermione was faced with just how rich a Malfoy was. He'd gone through more than 200 pounds in the last hour. He would just exchange money for tokens and start handing them out to any little kid he was around when he got upset with a game and didn't feel like playing anymore. Then he'd see something else he thought looked fun and end up right back at the ATM machine in the little restaurant holding a kid's pizza birthday party, pulling out more funds with, surprisingly, a VISA.

So here they were making their 4th trip and it was only now that she realized that he seemed pretty confident using the ATM.

"So," she started and he looked over at her, pulling his money from the machine, "you remember that conversation we had before?" she asked and he lifted his eyebrows in question as he re-pocketed his wallet and card. "At The Three Broom Sticks," she reminded him and a sly smile crossed his face.

"How could I forget?" he chided and Hermione blushed giving him a shove.

"Not that," she muttered, "the bit about you not knowing anything about muggle stuff," she corrected, waving her hands at the machine.

He stood there like he didn't know what she was talking about.

"So what," she went on in annoyance, "you've got a selective memory?" she asked and he tried to hide a smirk as he shrugged.

"So I've been told," he confirmed, and she glared at him.

"When we went out that night, I asked you if you knew anything about muggle stuff and you told me that you had absolutely no experience," she went on sounding like her old bossy and defensive self. She could see that it was all quite amusing to him.

"I never said that," he smiled and she looked appalled which in turn made him break out in a full grin.

"Really?" she asked in disbelief that he was even going to try and outsmart her now that she knew better.

"Really," he shrugged as he headed to the token machine.

She walked alongside him, "Okay, not in so many words," she sighed, "but you definitely said-"

"I guess I forgot about some stuff," he grumbled with a shrug, stuffing a note into the wonky token machine.

Hermione was shocked by his tone, and apparently whatever he thought was amusing about the situation, was wearing off.

"What's wrong?" she asked and he sighed.

"Nothing," he said solemnly and then in an obvious attempt at changing the subject he handed her his money, "here, this ruddy machine is pissin' me off," he said moving aside, and Hermione, feeling the tension decided not to argue.

She took his money and rubbed it back and forth across one of the edges of the machine, to try and straighten out all the wrinkles. Then she pushed it through the slot and the machine swallowed it with a buzz. There were some clinks and clanks before it spit out a fresh batch of tokens.

What was his problem?

He was always like that when it came to someone wanting to know things about him. She remembered thinking that he was modest in the beginning, but now she wondered if he really had some kind of aversion to talking about himself. Actually, that would make a lot of sense in a way.

But how could she ask him about it without suffering his wrath or getting into a verbal battle of wits?

It seemed impossible.

In fact, she realized that she didn't want to even exert the kind of energy it took to try and get him to let his guard down and hope that he would slip up and tell her something worth knowing. It always seemed to backfire anyway. Why not just do the sensible thing. The thing that he avoided doing at all cost and that had in turn caused her to avoid it too.

Forget trying to trick each other, or sneaking around his back. She'd just ask him straight out. The way it should be done, and the way they should have been doing things from the beginning.

As he gathered tokens and slipped them into his pockets she faced him taking a deep breath in preparation for what was to come.

Draco loaded his pocket casually and wasn't surprised when Hermione finally asked him what he knew was on her mind.

"Why don't you like talking about yourself?"

He let out a defeated sigh. He supposed that this day had to come at some point and he was just hoping that it wasn't anytime soon.

As this was his first real relationship, he was aware that as part of making this commitment, he was going to have to give in and start sharing memories with her. And not only that, but having to hear about her past as well.

The topic of pasts was just so stupid to him. If you like someone, then you like who they are, not who they were. So what did it matter that they used to be one way, when now they were another.

She stood there waiting for an answer and he didn't know what to say, so he went with whatever came to mind. It was always safer to do that then to think into things too much.

"I don't think it's all that necessary," he shrugged and as he could have expected, she didn't seem satisfied with that.

"Why?" she asked, "all I can think about is you…" she stated earnestly and then seemed to realize the weight of that statement and continued, "I want to know more about you because I really like you, and I genuinely find you interesting," she clarified, "but you won't budge, and I'm getting frustrated with you always lying or changing the subject or twisting words all the time," she said and she had an honest and pleading look in her eyes, trying to get him to understand her thoughts.

"But you like me the way I am," he said feeling himself tense, "and I, you," he stated, "isn't that good enough?" he concluded and she frowned at him.

"Not for me," she shook her head in disbelief, "all we do is get ourselves into stupid situations because of our lapses in communication. If you would just talk to me…" she trailed off and he knew that she was thinking about their time at Hogwarts over the last few weeks, and the letters, and anything else that had held up their relationship thus far.

And she was right of course.

It still didn't mean that he was going to change…

"Can we not talk about this right now?" he asked in aggravation and hated the hurt look she gave him.

"If we don't talk about it now, then when?" she asked an edge of anger forming through the grief, "I've at least got you talking-"

He'd had enough. How could she understand what it was like for him to have to bring up all the shit he'd spent years trying to forget. All the messed up things he'd had to forget in order to become himself and not the little bastard he'd been only a few years ago.

All those things were dead and gone. And rightly so. He wasn't going to revisit that tripe for anyone, not even himself. Because even as he let the next words come out of his mouth, he knew that burying his past wasn't going to help him get over it.

"We tried this already remember," he told her in a harsh voice that made her flinch away from him. He watched her startled face become defiant and before she could retaliate he went on, "I tried to tell you something I'd never told anyone. For you," he saw recognition on her face as she was harshly reminded of their talk about his father's capture. He let his voice turn cool, "and that didn't turn out so well for me, did it?"

She stood there like she'd been slapped in the face, and metaphorically he supposed that she had.

"Draco…I-," she whispered and he could hardly hear it over the noise of the arcade.

He didn't really believe a word he was saying, but he wasn't ready to do this yet, so he put the cherry on the cake.

"Maybe I don't go around chatting it up about myself because I haven't had any reason to trust in people," he said and could feel her shame… or maybe that was his own.

"You're right," she sighed, her shoulders slumping in defeat, "you're right," she repeated like she was trying to take it in, her eyes shut against tears, "I want to make it up to you," she said and Draco felt an ache in his chest throb.

She took a deep breath and plastered on a smile, "I'll wait," she nodded her conviction, "I'll wait until you decide that you can trust me. And until then, I'll do my best not to overstep my boundaries."

As the ache in his chest intensified, Draco felt like one of the cruelest people on earth. It wasn't that he couldn't trust her; he couldn't trust himself to handle what needed to be said. Instead of gritting through it, he was punishing her.

It wasn't right.

And as much as he wanted to fess up to being a coward, and handle his own traumas, he wasn't able to face it right now, even with the surmounting guilt.

She took his hand in hers, smiling up at him, "I don't want to ruin our day," she said and started pulling him back to the DDR machine, "let's have another round," her words turning into baby talk, "I don't think I got to see that cute little embarrassed face of yours enough today," she mocked, sending him a glance over her shoulder and as much as Draco hated himself for it, he let her continue to feel guilty. Let her continue to play it off.

But at least he knew that one day soon, he was going to come clean about everything to Hermione. Including telling her about what he'd just done to her today and dealing with the consequences of his choice then.

As they were walking through the arcade, they noticed a large group of people huddled in panic near the loos.

* * *

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Draco sat in the car in silence on their way back to Harry's. Everyone's solemn auras were creating a thick black cloud in the little space. Everyone but Draco that is. While everyone was suffocating in sadness, he was looking pretty peachy keen with a smile on his face. He sat untouched by grief in a corner of the back seat, surrounded by rays of sunshine.

"I'm so sorry about this guy's" Harry said for the tenth time since Blaise had overheard Harry and Ron talking, and apparated from the arcade after waking up from having fainted.

"No…" Ron sighed, "it was my fault. I shouldn't have been pestering you to tell me," he explained and then on a side note, added, "you'd think after all the crap we've gone through, I'd know when not to ask…"

Hermione shook her head. Technically it was her fault for letting Harry know. Speaking of blame, Draco was taking all of this uncharacteristically well. She turned to his grinning face and frowned.

"Can't you look a little more upset?" she asked him and he shrugged.

"Why?" he replied and Hermione sighed.

"Seriously?" she asked and he smiled.

"It turned out better the I could have expected," he said happily and Hermione realized that he was glad the he didn't have to get his hands dirty.

"Okay," she began, getting ready to tell him off in true Hermione fashion, "so you're basically not going to feel bad about any of this because you've been relieved of the duty of having to handle any type of responsibility?" she accused and she saw Harry and Ron stiffen, knowing her all too well, while Draco just shrugged, not noticing that Hermione was on a morality and virtue binge.

"Technically, I don't think I can be laid to blame for any of this," Draco shrugged, "it wasn't my problem to begin with and I really shouldn't have been involved at all," he explained not realizing that he was starting a battle.

"Even when you don't ask for it, sometimes you find out something that you don't want to have any part of, but you can't ignore the information," she said with a full knowledge of being in this kind of situation plenty of times, "you have to do something to help if you can, and if you end up making things worse, even indirectly, you shouldn't feel like you've been relieved of all duty because it worked out without you, especially if it worked out in the worst way," she enlightened.

And then Draco said the wrong thing and both Ron and Harry shook their heads at him.

"What's the difference?" he asked flippantly, "it got done and I didn't have anything do with it," he added and Hermione looked defiant.

"You had everything to do with it. You're the one who started the grapevine!" she yelled. It wasn't that she wanted him to feel bad, it was just that she wanted him to understand that this situation wasn't good just because it no longer included him. It was like he didn't care about Blaise or Pansy at all. It wasn't about him and his comfort, it was bigger than that and she couldn't believe that he couldn't see that.

"Grapevine?" he asked confused ad Hermione sighed.

"Grapevine," she said with an exasperated tone, "you told me, I told Harry, he told Ron and Blaise overhears. Grapevine," she defined and he seemed to understand the analogy then.

"Well what do you want me to do?" he asked like he was just trying to please her this point.

Hermione tried not to be offended.

"You don't have to do anything, but you can't sit here and be happy for yourself when your friends are suffering. Maybe it's not your fault, but knowing their situation, how can you be so pleased with yourself?" she went on and he genuinely smiled.

"I'm not just glad that I don't have to get involved," he began speaking to her softly like he was recalling a fond memory, "but also that the both of them are finally going to have to deal with each other, and it's been a long time coming. At this point, it doesn't matter how the two of them come face to face again, or for what reason. It's not going to take much for them fess up to the stupid feelings they have for each other," he explained and Hermione had learned something new about Draco.

He really cared about his friends whether he'd like to admit it or not.

Or whether he even it knew for himself.

It kind of gave her hope that, although he didn't always show it, he was listening and he cared about what she had to say.

* * *

Draco sat on the couch as Hermione leaned against him in a deep sleep. Blaise hadn't come back and they were all watching a movie on Harry's TV when she started to doze and about halfway through, she'd snuggled closer to him and passed out.

Movies were amazing in the muggle world, no projectors, full color, and there weren't any specks all over the screen, in fact, he'd only seen one that had sound before. It was like you were really there.

And then there was the TV. And not the little brown box thing with big silver knobs, he'd seen in the Muggle Studies classroom a few times at Hogwarts; not that he took the class, he'd just seen it while patrolling the school as a prefect. This thing was beautiful. Slim, black and big. I giant, sleek, picture frame. For some reason it called to his sense of manly decor. And he wouldn't even get started on the movie itself ad it's many explosions. The point being this…

How could anyone manage to fall asleep with something like this around?

After the movie ended and a black screen with white lettered names began to roll up the screen, Harry put what was called a DVD back in it's case and turned off the TV.

Ron stood up and stretched.

"Suppose it's time I got going," he said and at that time Hermione woke up rubbing the sleep from her eyes (which Draco noted had a funny effect on his chest) and stood up to give Ron an annoyingly tight hug (which made his chest burn in a different way.)

"Your leaving already?" she asked while still being held in his arms and swaying back and forth lazily.

"Yup, I gotta get back to the shop or Ginny will kill me," he went on and then glanced at Draco and removed Hermione's arms from his neck and took a step back before continuing, "she only gave me the weekend off, and if I don't get back, she'll tell George, and no one wants that."

Draco smiled. Was that a show of respect from his new friend, Weasley?

Hermione told him to wait a moment and disappeared from the room for a minute, returning with wands and handing them out to everyone.

Ron put his want in a pocket and after hugging Harry, approached Draco and he stood from the couch. Draco stuck out his hand for a shake and was surprised when he was grabbed into a hug as well. Draco could hear Harry and Hermione stifle their laughter. Then Ron stepped back and all three of them stood there watching him with stupid grins.

Was this some sort of initiation?

"Anyway," Ron said picking up the bag he'd brought with him and heading to the fire place, "see you guys later," he finished before pulling out a pouch, grabbing some powder out of it and saying "the Borrow," and disappearing into a green flame.

"Well," Harry started, turning to them, "I'm calling it a night. I've got to get up early to get back to training tomorrow at the Ministry," he said, then thought out loud, "I don't know if Blaise will be there, especially since he doesn't have a wand, but if he comes into work, he'll be home before me," he explained, "until then, you guy's will have the place to yourself."

Draco was so ready for that.

"Actually Harry," Hermione started, taking his hand and smiling up at him, "I think that Draco and I should get going too."

Draco and Harry watched her in surprise at the sudden change.

"It was fun," Hermione continued, "But honestly, if Blaise does come back, I'm sure he'd like some time alone, and besides that…" she looked at Draco, "I've probably had more than my share of having my way, so we can go anywhere you want," she said and Draco smiled.

"Alright," Harry said happily, giving Draco a strange look that he couldn't read. Draco assumed that Harry may have had some idea of what Hermione wasn't giving up because they were at his house. When Hermione smacked Harry's arm, her face pinking, he was sure that they were all on the same page.

"Well," Harry started up again, "stay as long as you need to, and I'll say goodbye right now, in case I don't see you guys when I get home," he said giving Hermione a hug and with the same respect that Ron had before, he pulled away from her first. Then unlike Ron, he settled for a handshake from Draco. "Night," Harry said waving a hand as he started for his room.

"Night," Draco replied.

"By the way Harry," Hermione said and waited for him to face her before she put on the most deadly serious face Draco had ever seen her use, "let Ron know that you and the others are going to pay for your little tricks this weekend the next time I get a chance. There was a lot going on and just because I didn't say anything about it this time around doesn't mean that it's going to be forgotten, and when I get each and every one of you back you won't know what hit you," she said, then put on a sweet smile, "Night Harry, can't wait to visit again."

Draco loved the look on Harry's face as he sighed and retreated to his room. When he was gone she turned to Draco, "so where do you want to go?" she asked.

* * *

Hermione sat with Draco on the couch as he thought over his possibilities.

Okay, so she wanted to have sex, she didn't mean for it to come out so openly like that. There were other reasons that she wanted to leave Harry's too.

After her talk with Draco at the arcade, she'd decided to really do her part to gain his trust and make him feel comfortable with her. She was sure that along the way to getting to know who he is, she'd get to know who he was.

"You don't know where you want to go?" she asked and he shrugged.

"Do you have any ideas?" he asked her and she shook her head at him.

"This is for you, so it's your choice," she said.

He sat quietly I for a bit before answering.

"I've got a few different villas in a few different places if you want to be do that," he suggested and Hermione smiled. She'd almost forgot that she was dating a rich bastard.

"If you want to then let's do it," she said and he frowned. "What?" she asked.

"Anywhere I want?" he reiterated.

She nodded.

"So," he went on, "If I wanted to take you to Japan, you're not going to argue right?" he asked and her face was a mix of excitement and rebellion. When finally she made up her mind she shook her head.

"No, you said you wouldn't want to go to a place with a language barrier," she confirmed and he sighed, "But," she went on, "if you want to go out of country, we can visit the U.S." she offered and shrugged.

"Does sound interesting, and the Malfoy's have a place over there that we can stay at," he said and then added, "we'd have to drop by the manor and ask my mother for the name of the place. Then we can floo from my house," he said working out the details in his head and Hermione was becoming excited. Then she zeroed in on one key point in that speech.

"Your mother?" she asked and he nodded.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure her and Lucious used to go there on business or something," he explained.

Hermione had a thousand flashes of all the horrible things that could go wrong with her meeting with Narcissa Malfoy. Oh god, she couldn't do this.

But this wasn't about her. Draco had come to Harry's in spite of everything that had happened between them all.

Besides, this was her chance to gain his trust and he wouldn't take her to his house if he thought that his mother might try to kill her, right?

"Hermione?" he asked, noticing that she wasn't quite all there.

"Sorry," she said, "I'm just a bit tired," she lied and he smiled at her.

"If your thinking about my mom," he said and she looked away, embarrassed at having been caught, "don't worry about it. She only has so much room in her for hate and I occupy most of that space," he said solemnly and when she met his eyes he sighed and got up from the couch, "anyway, let's get some sleep," he said and headed for the bathroom before she could say a single word.

Hermione sat there for a bit before starting to fix the couch into a bed. She wanted to ask, but she knew that she couldn't and it was killing her. She was going to try her best to make sure that he was able to tell her everything.

For his own sake.

**Please review**

And read the authors note at the top.**  
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